The Soul's heart
by Morloth
Summary: A mirror of love has turned Hogwarts upside down, and when not everyone can deal with who they see as their reflection... things get complicated. HGSS and others
1. Prolouge

AN: Now I've thought more about it and made more changes so to suit all the events of DH

AN: Now I've thought more about it and made more changes so to suit all the events of DH. Here is my second try at the same fan fiction.

**The soul's heart**

_Prologue_

He felt no pain. His eyes fluttered open and all was white around him. "_So this is heaven" _He thought. It was quite a disappointment. All white with banners and flowers and cards and all kinds of lovey-dovey things. Had he known this to begin with he would have pleaded for hell.

A beautiful angel sat looking down on him. He thought she looked familiar… but it wasn't Lily. That was odd. He could have sworn that the angel that came to gather up the remains of his soul was Lily...maybe she was off with Potter somewhere and he had to make due with this one. He didn't mind much, she was beautiful too. He looked at her some more…and his vision cleared. It was the Granger Girl!

She had died too? But of course she had... She had probably laid down her Gryffindor heart to save her friends. He saw that her lips moved. He heard nothing.

In a doorway further of stood another familiar face. Odd…heaven had doorways?

The Weasley boy had died too? Had they failed? Had the dark concurred and slain all?

He slumped. All the lives and sacrifices for nothing.

"Professor? Professor Can you hear me?" It was the Granger girl; her voice had finally penetrated the silence.

His throat felt dry so he only nodded…some pains where making themselves known. Why would he feel pain in heaven?

"We won Professor." She smiled at him. He looked at her. They won?

She? Weasley? Doorways? Pain? Flowers? Banners? Cards? CARDS?

He groaned he wasn't dead…he had been revived some how and lay in the hospital wing. With cards and flowers and a banner. He read the banner. "Snape is my Hero."

He groaned again. People sent him cards…HIM! Good grief.

"How..?" he croaked.

"With this!" Miss Granger hell up a large flask that once must have been full with golden liquid but now only held an inch. He stared at the flask. Then it dawned on him.

"I can't believe you brewed Second Breath, Professor, it is the world's most difficult potion! It takes nearly a year to finish and the ingredients are unbelievably rare and expensive and at this volume! It's unbelievable… We found it in your quarters after the victory fest. We managed to save a lot of people." She looked away from him "But not near to all, since it doesn't work on those who have been killed by an unforgivable. And most had…we thought at first it wouldn't save you either but it only needed more time to flush out the poison in your blood."

"My brother owes you his life though…And George has officially made you his hero." Ron Weasley said with a beam from the doorway. "And mom I believe is trying to make you a saint."

"I didn't make that."

"What?!"

"I can brew it, but I haven't" Severus said and sat up. "I haven't had the time to brew such a complex potion this last year..." his throat was still dry but he saw that a glass of water stood by his bead. He knocked over near a hundred cards to reach the much-needed beverage.

"If you haven't…who" Granger actually looked crestfallen.

"A friend I would guess."

"A WHAT?" Weasley roared.

"A Friend. Even I have them." Severus shot the boy an icy glare.

"Who..?" Granger began but he waved her away.

"I need to rest"

"He's awake?!" The boy-who-seemed-unable-to-die-even-if-fate-said-he-had-to ran in to the room.

"You're Alive" Snape said in choke and stared at Harry Potter.

"I should greet you the same way" The boy beamed.

"But Dumbledore said you had to..."

"I did. But I came back."

"Thanks to the brew?" Snape had clear doubt in his voice.

"No, I had a horcrux in me and he only managed to kill that part of me that was him." Ron Weasley made a disgusted face at that.

"I see."

"You've received the Order of Merlin First Class as a spy for the Order! And you've been pardoned all of your previous charges! Snape you're a free man!" The hero-of-extreme-luck announced ceremonially.

"And you are alive." Granger piped at him

"And a hero, brew or no brew!" Weasley said with a smile.

"_Oh good gods kill me again..."_ Snape thought as he looked upon the three beaming faces.


	2. Chapter 1

AN: If you haven't read my other Fan fictions you won't know that I suffer of dyslecsia and is left to write as best I can

AN: If you haven't read my other Fan fictions you won't know that I suffer of dyslexia and is left to write as best I can. I plead for a Beta. I am blind to my misspellings and will right a word correctly in one sentence just to misspell it in the next.

This chapter was beta'd by wingnutdawn & AlexandreaBC

**The Souls heart**

_Chapter one_

She sighed and looked up at the sleeping portrait of Dumbledore. Was he ever bored?

Probably not. He knew how to entertain himself, and he had guided this school through the worst years that the wizarding world had known.

Minerva looked out the window down at her students. She had forced everyone to come back and take their last year again, during the final year of the war too many had been absent from the school and those who where there had lived in constant fear and had learned much too little of what they needed to know. Of course this had led to a humongous class of first years but so be it.

She looked up once again at Dumbledore. He would surely not have disapproved of her rehiring Severus and making him her deputy headmaster?

Minerva sat down at her desk and glared at it. She wasn't used to being bored. There was indeed a lot of work to be done as a headmistress but she might just have to spice things up a little. And with that thought she pulled out a desk drawer. She looked down into it and smiled a wicked little smile.

--

Two days later the staff and students were assembled in the great hall and dinner was being gulped down by hundreds of youngsters. Minerva smiled again her wicked little smile and stood up. The noise died down and everyone turned to the headmistress.

"I am sorry to disturb you all but a valuable item of mine has gone missing. The mirror of Freja its called and it's a hand-mirror so if anyone would find it and give it to one of the prefects that would be lovely. Thank you." And then she sat down smiling to herself.

Parvati and Lavender whispered amongst themselves then they turned towards Hermione.

"Hermione. Hermione!" Parvati hissed at her and she turned to them with a thoughtful frown, "Hmm?"

"Who's Freja?" Parvati continued in a whisper.

"I don't know who Freja is, but the one famous Freja is the Viking goddess of spring, reproduction and love. But she might also mean the Freja who.." answered Hermione.

"Love!" the two girls shouted one and other. "It's a mirror of LOVE" the started to giggle in a all too familiar fashion.

The news about the mirror being a magical love mirror spread like wild fire amongst all the students in the Great Hall.

Severus looked over that the headmistress and raised an eyebrow. "I believe it wasn't a wise move to tell them the name of the mirror Minerva. You will never get it back now."

"Oh tish tosh Severus. Have you no faith in our students?"

He looked out over the milling masses of students. "No"

--

To Hermione's complete lack of surprise the rumour about the mirror spread across the school and she could go nowhere without hearing about it. Most everyone was looking for it and she pitied the finder as Parvati and Lavender would kill them to get a hold of the wretched thing.

She couldn't really deny that she wouldn't mind having it herself if it indeed was a magical mirror of love. Not that she was overly interested to see who her soul mate was. (it was generally agreed that that was what the mirror would show the person who looked in it) she knew now that it probably wasn't Ron. Their brief romance had died along with the war. She loved Ron, she would die for Ron but she wasn't in love with Ron. He couldn't even argue probably, he had no comebacks. No he was probably not the one.

She would love to get the mirror so that she could force Harry to look in to it though. He and Ginny had been dancing around one and other for far too long. He and his nobility. He didn't want to _condemn_ her to a life without privacy. They had barely spoken since that dreaded night.

She walked by the famous window through which Professor Snape had jumped to flee from his fellow staff members when he had been Headmaster last year. McGonagall had the Snape shaped hole filled with another shade of glass to immortalise the event. The headmistress could be quite the tease.

When Hermione finally reached the Gryffindor common room she saw that it was packed with students with Parvati and Lavender in the centre of the cluster.

"Hermione! Hermione! We found it!" The two girls screamed at her as she climbed through the portrait hole_. _

"_No doubt after some other poor soul found it that now don't have eyes…"_ she thought grimly but she smiled and then rolled her eyes "How nice. Have you found out what it does?" She didn't even try to lecture them about handing it over to McGonagall as she knew she would be attacked and burned at the mere suggestion. A lost cause is a lost cause…

"Oh don't give us that look Miss Head girl! We will hand it over to McGonagall when everyone has had a look" Lavender said exasperated.

"And we mean EVERYONE" Parvati said dabbing her finger in the air. "Hufflepuff, Slytherin, all!"

Hermione rolled her eyes again. "Yes, how grand of you...but have you figured out what it does?" she asked again.

"Oh that!" Parvati said and laid a hand around Hermione's shoulders. She saw that a rather large hand-mirror was being passed around the room.

"For me it shows a very handsome guy that I've never seen before standing at a beach smiling at me… But Lavender says she knows the guy she sees and he is playing football. And while some people don't want to tell who or what they see, it is clear that whoever you see is shown from their best side." Hermione nodded and seated herself between Ron and Harry.

"Hiya 'Mione" Ron said with a big grin.

"And before you ask, no we haven't looked yet." Harry said who also smiled and looked very eager to have a go at the mirror.

After a while it became clear that no one under fourth year could see anything at all in the mirror. Hermione gathered that Freja thought they where too young to know whom their love, mate, intended (or who ever the person in the mirror was) was to be. There where several other questions that she wanted answers to. Such as, if the person you saw would look in the mirror would he/she see you? What was the person in the mirror to you? Your love? Your soul mate? Or since Freja also was the god of reproduction, maybe you saw the person whom you would have great…um… babies with.

"This can't be right!" Seamus called out, clearly appalled.

"What? What's wrong?" Dean asked his friend. "Oh she's hot…who is she?" he said looking in to the mirror.

"I don't think you're seeing the same person as I am." Seamus said glumly handing the mirror to Dean who cooed over the apparently hot girl he saw.

"Naww… This one is for me" Dean said smugly "Who did you see? Umbridge?"

"Not that bad but bad enough…a Slytherin"

"Oh sorry mate, who was it?"

"I'm not telling'" Seamus looked extremely disappointed and quite irritated too. The mirror clearly didn't care about one's feelings.

Soon it was the golden trios turn. Ron went first. He stared intently at the mirror.

"Are you seeing anyone?" Harry asked him tentatively after waiting for several seconds to find out who Ron saw in the Mirror. The common room was far from silent though as several students where tying to make their non-telling friends spill who they had seen.

"Yeah..." Ron said looking up at Harry with a goofy grin. "I even know who it is."

"Really who?"

"I don't know her name but she's two years older than us, from Hufflepuff. A red head who flies for that team in Ireland… The Croks Chimeras I think."

"Oh I think I know her name" Harry said "She was a chaser for the Hufflepuff team?"

"Yeah that's the one"

"Good for you Ron, Tara Glennen is definitely pretty," then for some reason they both looked at Hermione expectantly, she wondered silently_, 'They aren't asking me to confirm that this Quidditch Tara is pretty…are they?'_ But just in case she smiled reassuringly at them. Ron blushed and handed her the mirror.

She looked into it. There where no Quidditch players in her view, but the man who sat there was defiantly handsome. She couldn't see much because a curtain of long black hair covering his face. He slowly tilted his head up and looked in to her eyes with a mysterious grin. Her heart flipped as she stared into those black eyes. Gods he was handsome…a bit old, probably mid thirties but she would see past that for those eyes and that smile that seemed to tell her that he knew something she didn't. She gazed at the handsome man. His face was lit by a candle as he sat in a room filed with books, behind a dark desk clad in black robes….

"OH DEAR GOD!" she exclaimed in shock.

"What? Who did you see?" Harry looked nervously at her.

"What? Did you also see Umbridge, like Seamus?" Dean asked.

"I did NOT see Umbridge!" Seamus roared into Deans ear who would probably not be able to use that ear for the next few days.

Hermione didn't say anything and silently gave the mirror to Harry. He looked in to it, smiled then blushed and gave it to the one next to him.

"Who did you see Harry" Ron asked with the most knowledgeable smirk a person who believes they will become their friends future in-law can have.

"I don't know" Harry lied. Hermione saw him meet Ginny's eyes, "but she was beautiful..." Ginny looked away from him, burned.

Soon everyone had looked in to the mirror and the common room was filled with  
chatter about who they saw in the mirror and if who they saw might be. They also were trying to pry information out of the others who were still refusing to say who they saw when they looked into the mirror.

"Oh come off it Hermione, we don't care who it is." Harry said soothingly.

"No of course not." agreed Ron who grinned oddly. "And think of it this way, at least it wouldn't be Snape!"

She glared at them then she smiled wearily "Yeah, at least it wasn't Snape" she lied. Thankfully she was better at concealing the truth than Harry or Ron was.

"_OhShitOhShitOhShitOhShitOhShit Why Snape?"_


	3. Chapter 2

AN: Woho hold on to your hats

AN: Woho hold on to your hats..here's an update. I don't own these characters

**The Soul's heart**

Chapter 2

The damned lesson had come to an end and he exhaled heavily. Two hours locked in a room with the poor people who had chosen Advanced Potions. Not something he enjoyed. They should have had to ask his permission first because at least half of them where useless and wouldn't know the difference between a healing potion and pain stopper if their lives depended on it. He paced the room sighing happily about its lack of students. His eyes fell upon an abandoned bag.

"Oh, of all air headed dimwits." He growled and snatched the bag. Since the bag was open he couldn't help his eyes gliding over its contents, mostly books…and the damn mirror!

He seated himself behind the desk and stared at the bag containing the offensive mirror. Oh he'd encountered the mirror before. He also knew a lot about the horrid thing… but the most important thing he knew about that mirror was that it had never contained Lily for him. When the thing had circled Hogwarts back in his time he had been one of the last to hold the wrenched thing, given his low social status

He had tried to destroy the mirror when the girl in it had not been Lily. He hadn't been able to even dent it. He had, after all, been meddling with the most powerful magic in the world...Love. When he hadn't been able to destroy it he had left it and gone to the library to find out all about it. There in the books there would be an explanation to why Lily wasn't in there. Severus smiled a twisted smile at the bag. Sadly the reason why she had not been in the mirror was the reason he had feared the most. She was not his to have.

He didn't remember the girl he had seen being to angry about her not being Lily. He wondered if she had changed in to someone else. He had read that that could happen if his past reflection girl died. As he removed the magical mirror he thought about how many points he was going to retract from the incompetant soul who had forgotten their bag here and forced this mirror in to his path once again.

The mirror looked just the same as it had all those years ago. He looked in to it and his memory stirred. She was just the same...

She was smiling openly at him, nearly laughing. Her hair seemed caught by a wind and she was toying with it to stay out of her face. She had big laughing eyes and she appeared to be on a beach clad in a summer skirt and a petit top. He thought her quite tolerable to the eyes if a bit young now. Back in his youth she must have been just his age.. funny that she hadn't aged.

A knock rang out and he lowered the mirror. "Ah... the culprit had returned to get his bag...Enter" he said to himself and then shouted from his desk. The door opened and his mouth curled in to a mean smirk. This was just too good.

"Good afternoon Professor, I didn't mean to disturb you but I seem to have forgotten my ba...oh you found it." The head girl ventured.

"That wasn't the only thing I found…" he said with evil purr and held up the mirror. Little Miss Granger blanched.

"I was just about to—" she began

"Couldn't stoop ogling your reflection, Miss Granger?" She blushed furiously.

"Quite the contrary Professor I assure you..."

"Not your ideal partner? Hmm?" he was playing with her but the way she flushed was so entertaining. Since the girl had saved his life she had seemed less intimidate by him, but now she squirmed again and it was so rewarding.

"I was...I don't…" she failed to string a sentence together…how amusing. "I was about to return it." she finally managed, still red as a tomatoe. "..But now you have it so I don't need to." She stepped up to his desk to retrieve her bag.

Severus looked in to the mirror again. She was still smiling at him and her laughing eyes met his. He looked up at the Granger girl and their eyes met too. Hers didn't laugh. He thought he was about to fall of his chair or maybe scream in terror but he didn't he remained calm. No wonder the girl was as red as a tomato. No wonder she wanted to return the mirror… she had probably tried to destroy it as well. He coughed.

"Ten points from Gryffindor for concealing a valuable object…"

"I wasn't…" she began

"Five points from Gryffindor for not being a good role model as a head girl.."

"What? I have too been.."

"And another ten points for trying to destroy a valuable magical object with an historic background."

"What? How... I didn't! It doesn't even have a scratch!" she looked thunderstruck. He smiled and she went red again.

"Dismissed, Granger" he said in his most silky voice.

"But, Professor!"

"I said dismissed or do you want me to take points off for who you see in the mirror too?" She went so pail she looked like a ghost

In the same silky voice he continued, "Oh, Miss Granger, I know who it is."

She went redder than a radish and ran out without a backwards glance.

He chuckled. Now that was funny.

--

Hermione didn't stop until she was on the second floor of the castle. Her heart pounded like Animal the Muppet set up his drums in her chest. How could he have known? He had to have been bluffing! But if he had bluffed then why could he take of points for who she saw? And how..HOW! Could he have given her that exact same smile that he had in her mirror view? That mysterious and knowing look.. His hair falling across his face? How she wanted to die! Fall down the stairs and break all bones in her body and just die. Oh he would only whip up that brew again. The brew of Second Breath. She had puzzled over that he had in front of the media claimed to have brewed the potion himself but not wanted to go in to any details…in his hospital bed he had fervently claimed that a friend had brewed it. Of course he hadn't wanted to name the friend…odd.

She sighed at the mysterious man in the dungeon. Him who some dead goddess had given her for some unknown reason. Why did she see him WHY? What did it mean to see the man in the mirror? She looked around the corridor no epiphany came to her so she stalked away to the library.

In the library she busied herself with all the books that could contain anything about the mirror. She knew several people had already tried to find something but they didn't know the library like she did. This was her second home, her friend, her haven. Only one person spent more time in here but she and that was Madame Pince. She sat there the rest of the afternoon writing down anything she came across about the blasted mirror. Harry and Ron came by and sat with her for a while...but when the noticed she was on a crusade they left her to it. When Pince finally ushered her out of there she had a very short list of information with her. A list never the less:

_The mirror of Freja is an old valuable object said to have been owned by the goddess herself, this object is said to be lost forever._

_The mirror of Freja is a mythological object said to have been given to Freja by the same dwarfs that crafted her famous necklace._

_The mirror of Freja was made for her in her utmost distress. _

_The mythological item, Freja's Mirror, is said to contain the very essence of love. _

_Freja was a practical goddess but a very lonely one never finding love for her own._

_Freja embodied material lust, love and birth. _

_When asked for a love of her own Freja wanted someone who mirrored her self. Someone who's soul's heart would be the perfect match for her own. _

_Freja wanted love to bloom every spring, not caring if one's former love had died the year before. A new love could always rise again. No widow or widower should be deprived of love. When love was such a great thing no need to only loved once and then lose it. _

_When gazing into the mirror of Freja you can be assured that the person you see in that mirror shall not change until death do you part._

_The person in the mirror shall always be of age in the mirror if not outside it. _

_A person not of age to spawn shall see no one in her mirror._

_In her mirror Freja wowed that if two gazes lock only the two should ever see. No other who looked in to their soul should see the same. The one shall be yours and yours alone. You are the two whose souls match. _

A not very long list if you had looked in to as many books as Hermione… She walked to her room, head boy and girl shared a small, but lovely, common room and she greeted Malfoy who sat reading in it. They didn't hate each other with the fires of a thousand suns anymore but they where not particularly easy around each other either. They tried to be friendly at the very least.

"You still have that mirror, Granger?" he asked without looking up from his book.

"No, Snape impounded it. Wanted to have a look at Pansy before you went to bed?" she asked with a grin and sat down in the sofa with him. On the other end of course.

"You know well I can't stand that girl." He snapped the book close and looked at the list Hermione was feverishly reading. "What's that?"

"A list"

"I'm not blind Granger. What for? Is it something we have to arrange again?"

"No…"

He sighed and snatched the list from her.

"Malfoy, you brat! Give it here!" She started to chase him around the room. He laughed merrily as she chased him.

"What Granger is it a poem to your boyfriend?" he teased her and tried to read whilst running. He stopped running. He looked up at her and stared.

She scowled at him and snatched the list back. "This is all I found about the blasted mirror in the library."

"Oh. okay" he gave her a lopsided smile. "You like the guy who's your soul match?"

"No I hate his guts."

He gave a fake double take "But Granger I don't know what to say… Don't tell me it's me!"

She glared at him and tossed an ornamental pillow at him.

"If it was you I'd have jumped of the tower by now."

He gave her a smirk and went off to bed. She smiled at his retreating back. Maybe he wasn't so bad after all.. Maybe she could live with him in the same room for a year. Then she sighed and went of to reread the list over and over again. The person who had written the last part had clearly tried to be witty but failed utterly. Now she knew why Snape had known she'd seen him in the mirror. He'd seen her. She punched the pillow. Why couldn't it have been Ron? Or Neville?! Or if it had to be a Slytherin then why not Draco?


	4. Chapter 3

Am freaking dyslectic light and can only spell moderately well thanks to windows word and more patience than I have

I am freaking dyslexic light and can only spell moderately well thanks to windows word and more patience than I have. I don't own these characters.

**The Soul's heart**

_Charter 3_

Her curls flew in the warm breeze and she beckoned him to join her. He'd never liked the beach but she seemed to enjoy it so…and who was he to deny her anything? They walked down the white sand until she found a spot she liked. He got out the blanket and settled down to watch her running around trying to keep that monstrous hat on. He had teased her for having a hat that covered more than her clothes. She was so cute when she wrinkled her nose and got annoyed with him. He smiled when the wind tried to wrench the hat off and at the same time lift her tiny skirt. He walked up behind her. As he hugged her she turned in his arms to smile at him. He couldn't help himself, he kissed her.

"WHAT?!" Severus sat bold up right in his bed. He felt the cold sweat drenching his body. The bloody Granger girl had sneaked in to his dreams! He flung himself out of bed. Damn mirror! He paced the room's fireplace. Hex the girl! Curse the mirror! Hate them both!

She couldn't have materialised just this year…why did the wrenched little thing have to have always been the one? The one in that accursed mirror… Burn the day the dwarfs made that mirror for that lovesick woman goddess!

He paced and paced. He could have lived with the fact that she was in that blasted thing, but no, she had to sneak into his mind, roam his dreams, and twist his head… Why had he ever returned to this horrid place? Why had he promised the old fool to take care of the school and it's children? Why did Miss Granger have to be so god damn appealing all of a sudden! She was his student… she should have the common decency to be just as uninteresting and unattractive as all the rest of the little shitlings! Oh he knew she was far from the so-called most attractive students but he had never looked twice at those girls. They were students and complete dimwits at that, but little blasted Miss Granger with her full body, messy hair, and sharp wit had waltzed in with that mirror and turned his world upside down.

He slumped down in his big armchair and stared in to the fire. Two days had gone by since he had stumbled upon the mirror. She had tried to act normal but she flushed more than usual for a girl in his class. He was quite certain she didn't fancy him or have any other stupid romantic ideas…he was nearly sure it was only because either she was ashamed by him knowing she saw him in that wretched mirror or she had found out he saw her too. Probably both. She was far too smart and too much of a bookworm not to try to pry every ounce of information out of the library. He closed his eyes. This was not good, not good at all.

"Curse all…" he muttered before he drifted of to sleep once more…still in his armchair.

--

And here he came… it looked like he had had a bad night. He was rubbing his neck. Probably fell asleep in his study. His study… Hermione blushed as the picture of him sitting handsome behind his desk painted it self in her mind. She didn't really know why she had taken to discreetly watch him during mealtimes. Maybe she was curious as to why he was her perfect match…maybe.

"Hermione… I thought you said you'd left the mirror with Snape?" Ron whispered in her ear.

She turned to him "I did. Is it back?"

Ron nodded "Ravenclaw's ogling at it they say"

"Then maybe he forgot it on his desk and some student found it…or something..." Then it dawned on Hermione that she hadn't told her friends about that damn list being far too preoccupied with what it meant for her. She smiled a wicked little smile.

"So Ginny…" she said just a tad louder than necessary, but not suspiciously loud no need for that. Gin looked up from her ham sandwich.

"...You know that mirror of Freja we had some days ago?" Now half the table was pretending not to listen in…good.

Ginny nodded.

"Well I did some research on it and it turns out its more magical than one suspected at first." The noises around the table was dampening.. "I don't recall who it was you saw but he would see you too if he looked in the mirror…"

Both Ginny and Hermione completely failed to look at Harry at that moment.

"Is that so…?" Ginny was calm as a clam…of course it wasn't she who had seen Snape.

"Why do I see anyone at all in there 'Mione?"

Hermione adopted Ginny's cool and nonchalant voice as she continued "Oh... That part was a bit hazy, but from what I could discern…" The entire table was hanging on her every word "The mirror shows your soul's heart…not whom you love personally, but who your soul's match is, I would think."

At those last words the tumult that broke lose at Gryffindor table was deafening. Ginny and Hermione shared a smile.

Seamus and a few others were silent but most were talking rapidly.

"Come off it, Seamus!" Dean insisted. "Hermione did say it had nothing to do with your own personal feelings didn't she…?"

"Fuck off Dean it's still a Slytherin."

Dean patted his friend on the shoulder and decided to spread the good news along to the other tables.

"I think a riot has broken loose" Snape said calmly to Minerva whilst sipping his coffee.

"Oh, I don't think it's that bad. It's probably to do with my lost mirror" she sipped her tea.

"You lost it again? I am very certain I handed it to you."

"Maybe someone nicked from me in an unguarded moment?"

Severus doubted that. Minerva had a cat's hearing and reflexes. Anyone stupid enough to try would be…well Filtch's before they could blink. Dumbledore had been her mentor in more ways than one it seemed. And at that thought Severus went green. He had not meant that thought to sound that way…urgh!

He looked out over the sea of over enthusiastic faces and met to brown eye. He looked away. Mentor in more than one way huh...? How she would laugh at him if she knew his thoughts.

--

"Granger! Granger stop!"

She turned around. So did Harry and Ron who was walking with her. It was Malfoy. The three boys stiffened at the sight of one and other.

Malfoy cleared his throat "I need to speak with Granger. Head business"

Ron eyed Malfoy suspiciously but dragged Harry along and a way from the two "Right… we'll be in Herbology Hermione.." he muttered. Harry only glared at the blond.

"What do you want Malfoy?"

"Snape needs to speak with us after lunch…we have some new assignment apparently." He rolled his eyes to indicate that they had nothing but assignments all the time.

She smiled an exasperated smile "And why, pray, couldn't you tell me this in front of my friends, Malfoy?"

"Oh that one is easy. I can't stand them" He gave her a big grin

Her eyes twinkled not so innocently "And you can stand me…?"

"Of course not, M.B."

She nearly gasped he hadn't called her a mudblood ever since they moved in together! The bastard he wouldn't ever change!

"Miss Bossy." He finished and gave her an even wider grin. She hit him with her books.

"You try a stunt like that again and I'll hex your balls of Malfoy!"

She had to run to get level with her friends.

"What did Malfoy want?" Harry asked.

"Be a jerk." Hermione muttered.

"I thought he had bettered himself…"

"Yes, but polish a turd and it's still a turd" Ron said with a smile. "And speaking of people who should get their act together… What was that you said to Gin at breakfast today?"

"Oh... Only that the person you see in the mirror will see you in the mirror. Without exceptions." Hermione said pointedly. Harry said nothing.

"Is it true Hermione that Ginny revealed to you who she saw in that mirror?" Ron continued unperturbed. "…To bad you forgot who it was." Hermione gave Ron a big smile

"I know exactly who she saw but I couldn't say that so the entire table heard." They smiled. Harry glared at them. They pretended not to notice.

--

After lunch Hermione and Malfoy walked down to the Deputy Headmaster's office. It had puzzled Hermione that it was Snape who dealt with the prefects now that McGonagall was Headmistress but it had turned out it was the Deputy's duties.

"So when are they releasing you father?" Hermione asked her escort as they were walking.

"Not for some time but mothers out and about…under close watch, of course, but never the less out. I have to say it was smart of her to save Potter like that"

"Yes well she wanted to see you again didn't she?"

He smiled "Yes, mother first, Death Eater second."

They knocked on Snape's office door. Hermione felt an unwelcome shiver when she heard his low voice say, "Enter."

They walked in. He was sitting behind his desk… it wasn't the desk in her mirror's view.

"Sit" he said without looking up. They sat.

It took some time for him to stop whatever he was doing and look up at them. This was the usual way with him. But when he did look up it was a slow raising of the head in such a way that his hair that had been draped across his face parted and revealed his dark eyes. Hermione felt a jolt go through her body when this routine was played out. Damn his handsome eyes. Damn his silken hair. Damn that mirror. She would never have noticed had it not been for that damn mirror!

She looked away hoping neither of the other to see her blush.

"Is everything going well?" He asked. By the sound of it he didn't really want to know.

"Yes, sir." Malfoy said.

"Ah…Draco. How are things inside Slytherin? Behind closed doors I mean."

"Remarkably well. The war seems to have made the world better, sir."

"That I believe was it's whole point. And Miss Granger any reports?"

"Yes." She rummaged in her bag and produced five sheets of paper filled with her meticulous righting. "You said last time sir that you didn't want me going on for hours with my report so I took the liberty of writing it down."

He raised an eyebrow, but said nothing when he took it. They sat silent for a while as the professor leafed through Hermione's report

He gruffed, "Very well, that was not the reason why I summoned you here." He sighed heavily, "Our honourable Headmistress has misplaced her mirror again it would seem…And because off all the hullabaloo around this…_thing _of hers she thinks it would be a good thing to have a" he grimaced "A ball in honour of the damned thing."

Hermione blushed beyond crimson.

"So see to it." he snapped at them and handed Malfoy a note. "Here are some details the Headmistress has set up for you… such as a budget and date I suspect."

Malfoy looked at the paper and sighed, "Yes, sir."

He stood up and gave Snape bow. "Come on Granger, there's to much to do."

She glanced at the professor. He didn't return her gaze. "Good day then, Professor."

He waived her off.

This was getting worse.


	5. Chapter 4

AN: why 'ello everyone

AN: why 'ello everyone. I decided to update. I'm dyslexic but I am getting a lot better. Isn't that sad? Just imagine how bad I was before :) but I got help now, Thank you AlexandreaBC

**The Soul's Heart**

_Chapter 4_

A ball…a ball in honour of that mirror. And McGonagall had lost the mirror again. If she didn't know better, Hermione would suspect the Headmistress for deliberately meddling in the affairs of the heart.

"So…" Malfoy said looking bored "A ball themed by the mirror of loooove…"

"No, not love. Just bad judgment." Muttered Hermione

"Awww still not fond of your guy?"

"No. Head over heals about yours then?"

"Not really." He said looking out the window as they walked.

"HERMIONE! HERMIONE!" it was Ginny who ran up to them. "I've been looking all over for you. Oh, you," her enthusiasm fell when she saw Malfoy.

"Weasleyette," he said with a curt nod.

"What are you doing with him?" Ginny asked Hermione.

"Head business." Malfoy said coolly.

"There's going to be a ball in theme by the blasted mirror…" Hermione continued looking pained.

Ginny's eyes widened and she nearly jumped in pure joy. "Ooooh! Really? Wow! Then you must, just must, force people to go with the person they see in the mirror! You just have to!"

"What? NO!" Hermione did not want to picture that.

"I don't think that's even possible." Malfoy said looking annoyed by the mere presence of Ginny.

"What? Of course that's possible!" Ginny glared at him. He ignored her and gave Hermione a pointed look. At first she didn't get it but then…

"No, I don't think so. The one Ron saw, that Tara girl, she's no longer attending Hogwarts and didn't Lavender see a muggle guy?" Ginny looked crestfallen.

"Besides" Malfoy continued "Some might not want to go with the people they see. I know Daphne started to cry when she looked into the thing."

'_I wanted to do that too,' _Hermione's traitorous mind thought.

"Yeah well. You're smart, Hermione. Can't you think of something?" Ginny pleaded

'_and what if I don't want to?'_

"Well I suppose we have to… Mainly because of the damned theme" Malfoy sighed "Now go away Weasleyette some of us have _Care of Magical Creatures_ you know..." They walked away towards Hagrid's hut in silence.

--

"Yeah well can't you fly-slash-floo them in Hermione?" Ron half asked, half begged after he and Harry learned about the ball.

"Not everyone knows who their match is, Ron." She said through gritted teeth. She was not going to get talked in to forcing herself to go with Snape. Not a freaking chance in hell.

Ron gave her his biggest, bluest stare. She was so soft for his pleading eyes.

Dean who was walking beside them with an uncharacteristically silent Seamus acknowledged another dilemma. "Besides Ron, think of the possible age differences between the two in the mirrors. You know your soul-match don't have to be your age…like with Hermione and Snape…"

Hermione's insides froze, how could Dean know? How on earth could he have found out? Had she been that obvious? Had he overheard? Had Snape decided to tell everyone? Oh the horror, oh the shame of it all!

"…or Seamus and his Umbrige."

"Shut up Dean. It's not Umbrige and if you imply that one more time I'm going to stuff an umbrella down your throat and then open it…" a low growl informed his friend.

"Yeah Dean, shut up!" Hermione said nonchalantly. Safe.

"You guys are so boring! Why can't you tell us who you see?" Dean whined.

"Forget that!" Ron said waving the overcurious Dean away "Oh Hermione, you great, you wonderful, you extremely smart Hermione…you have to find a way for outsiders to come to the ball." She should really curse those eyes out of him. "…and then maybe you could hang the mirror on a wall and put up an inscription next to it explaining what it does and when Tara looks in to it… " Ron faded off in to fantasies

Hermione sighed and looked at Harry. "What do you think?"

"I donno…" he muttered

"Come on Harry, you have to have an opinion."

"Yes…okay." He smiled weakly at her. He was definitely nervous about the ball. Dean flung his hand's up exasperated.

"Harry Potter, _okay_ is not an opinion!" he turned to Hermione "If you aren't going to force people to go together than you should at least force them to dance." Before she could object he continued, "No not all night, the ones without their partner present would have one hell of a shitty time, I know, but one freaking dance. One dance should be okay. "

"You know Thomas, that's not a bad idea."

Hermione swore under her breath. Malfoy had materialised out of nowhere. The slimy bastard turned to her, "Don't think that's a great? Add tacky decorations to that and we have successfully merged the mirror in to this awful ball."

She didn't trust herself to speak, she only nodded. She would wring Dean's neck later!

"What? NO! You fucking bustard!" It was Seamus, he was screaming at Dean "Don't you see what you have done? You utter bustard! I should…" Seamus tore his gaze away from his friend before he would strike him. It landed on Malfoy, who winked at him. Hermione couldn't see Seamus's face but the boy didn't hang around, he took off running.

"You know, I don't think Finnegan took that very well.." Malfoy observed with a smirk. "See you after school," the blond told her and walked away.

Hermione felt awful, she did not want to dance with Snape in front of the entire school.

--

Later on Hermione and Malfoy were sitting in their room discussing the wretched ball.

"I don't see why we should force people to do anything." Hermione tried.

"It was suppose to be in honour of Freja's mirror right? So I don't see what we can do but force people together. Besides us only having to dance one lousy dance is as a very reasonable inconvenience."

She knew this, but oh how she wanted to find a snag in the logic…

"Not everyone will be able to dance with someone… If we are going to do this and force people we should invite outsiders."

"I don't think that is a good idea, parents would come and what if they are not with their right match?"

"Yes, that would be a problem…" Hermione started to nibble at her lip.

Malfoy looked at her in his peculiar way then he looked out the window.

"Okay…." Hermione said slowly "how about…just to minimize the people not dancing at _the soul-match dance_…" The more that danced that dance the less focus it would be on her and Snape. Not that that news wouldn't spread like wild fire thrpugh the school. "…we could invite those outsiders who are known people, and magical of course."

"It would be kind of hard to explain to them…"

"You're the Slytherin, we just invite them to a ball. No need to go in to details." He looked at her for a long time.

"Okay fine. Even if we get the permission from the headmistress to invite outsiders how are we going to know whom to invite? I don't think people are going to just tell us…"

"We…um…we could…we could put up a magical mailbox…" He raised an eyebrow at hers but she felt that she was on to something. "...yes, that sounds about right, we could charm it to owl an invitation to the person someone submits into the mailbox…of course with protective charms so that it won't be pranks and muggle sendings and so on…" she gave him a big smile.

He still looked sceptical but he didn't exactly object "All right… but we can't force people to mail. That would lead to mayhem. So only people who want their heart's soul-mate to come will be able to mail."

"Yes but it would still be more dancers than if there were no mail." Hermione said with a smile. Maybe she could be sick that day and not show up

"Fine whatever."

They moved on to discussing decoration.

--

She was sitting in front of him. Why did Draco have to have Quidditch practice right now? He did not like that he could sense her fragrance in the air. He did not enjoy the way he noticed her sparkling eyes. He hated the fact that he found her attractive. He tried to ignore the petit little creature on the other side of his desk by picking up the paper of suggestions for the ball that she had brought him. He read it for a while until he saw one paragraph he did not approve of…

"Dancing Miss Granger?" he looked over the sheet and in to those chocolate filled orbs.

She blushed and avoided his gaze. "Yes." She said a small voice

He really shouldn't torment the girl… he shouldn't really…He smiled and lowered the paper. "I didn't know you wanted to dance with me so badly Miss Granger."

Her blush deepened and her eyes stared transfixed at the hands in her lap. "I…I don't sir. It was Malfoy's idea. Well, actually, it was Dean Thomas' idea, but Malfoy thought it was a good one."

How extremely innocent she was. How improper a match he was for her. So woundable and petit next to his old evil self.

"Two points from Gryffindor for lying. Demons would start building snowmen in hell before Mister Malfoy agrees with a Gryffindor." She started to wring her hands.

"Well actually sir, before the Christian church had fully settled in northern Europe, the colder countries believed hell to be freezing cold instead of burning hot, because in their experience, the cold was worse than heat. The hell of today is just influence by the already very Catholic south who…" He sighed, where did this girl store all her information? The hair?

"Three more points from Gryffindor for talking back to a teacher."

She shut up but he saw the defiance in her eyes. Severus flinched as he saw her wrinkling her nose in anger. He couldn't help himself but think her cute. "Is there something you would like to say Miss Granger?"

"Yes, sir. If you would just ask Malfoy he will affirm the fact that the whole forcing people to dance idea was his."

"Then talk him out of it. I do not wish to ridicule myself by waltzing about with some stupid little girl." Her eyes flared.

"Don't you think I tried? Do you actually believe that I want to be the laughing stock of the entire school by dancing with you, sir?"

"From all your blushing Miss Granger, I can't even start to perceive what goes true your soppy little mind."

She stood up and slammed her hands down on his desk "I thought that all of your malicious behaviour was due to your fake alliance to Voldemort but I was wrong! You are just a mean..."

"Miss Granger" he warned but she ether didn't hear him or ignored him.

"…hateful, evil, petty, pathetic, ugly, slime-ball of a man!"

He rose to his feet to and towered over her, he knew that the light over the blackboard behind him cast unpleasant shadows across his face but he didn't care. He glared at the now silent girl. He turned his thin lips in to a snarl.

"_Detention."_ He hissed.

Her beautiful eyes betrayed of her. She looked oh so fragile there in front of him. Her innocence pierced his heart like an arrow. He turned his head from the small figure and Severus needn't wave his hand twice before he heard the door to his office slam.


	6. Chapter 5

A/n I don't own the characters or the settings, maybe just the plot. And I'm not so sure about the plot.

Edit: this chapter has been betad by nevillesgirlfriend

**The soul's heart**

_Chapter five_

That insufferable man! She should kill him and have it over with. If he were dead she wouldn't see him in that damn mirror, they wouldn't have to dance together, and she wouldn't have to meet him once a bloody week and talk to him! His friend or whoever it was who had awakened him should have left that man dead! It would have saved Hermione a damn lot of trouble…

She sighed. A man like Severus Snape could not be her soul-mate. They had almost nothing in common… Just a fondness for order, books and rules- and maybe the occasional breaking of rules when it suited them… but NOTHING else!

No, Hermione was not anything like the old grumpy man someone should have left for dead!

She walked in to the head boy and girl common room. Malfoy stood by one of the windows, his body framed by the setting sun. Hermione tried not to stare at his torso that seemed to once again have failed to attain a sweater.

"For heavens sake Malfoy, put something on! My eyes might start bleeding...," she muttered and slumped down on the sofa.

"I know I'm breath-taking no need to get all excited, Granger or I might have to stun you," he smirked and sat down on the other end, still failing in the shirt department.

"You revolt me, Malfoy."

"Sure Granger.... Whatever you say. How was talking with old batty?" he asked.

"He makes me even more nauseous than you do, Malfoy. And that takes practice; is that what you people do down in the Slytherin dungeons?" She asked, looking up at him from her lying position. He smiled at her and played with a few of her curls that reached him.

"Certainly, right after lunch. No, but honestly, did he say anything interesting?"

"He wants us to discard the dance." She answered, not looking at him.

"He would. Was that it?"

"I got detention." It was surprisingly nice to have someone playing with your hair. She felt lulled by it.

"You?" he barked, laughing. "How did that happen?"

She felt herself drift in and out of focus.

"I insulted him…."

"What! Why?! I thought you where smart…."

"He insulted me…" her voice trailed off.

Draco looked disbelievingly down at the muggleborn girl. She was clearly asleep. What the hell? Sure, Snape insulted and provoked her, that's how he is…but Granger losing it? What the hell was happening? He de-tangled his fingers from her hair and snuck up to his room.

He too wished that they could ban the whole dance, and the theme and mailbox ideas, but it was McGonagall's orders…. He sighed and looked out the window again.

Love is a terrible thing to have sneak up on you.

He sighed again as he thought about the likeliness of his soul-mate dancing with him, charm or no charm.

None.

He threw himself down on the bed, trying to block bad thoughts and forcing sleep to come.

--

He stood not far away from her. She still hated him, the hot feeling of loathing stirred through her as she observed him. He turned his dark eyes upon her.

"I am sorry, Miss Granger." She startled- he didn't say things like that. And certainly not like THAT! So silkily, with no hint of sarcasm.

"That… that's okay, Professor. I spoke out of turn as well."

"No, it was not okay. I took my frustrations out on you." He seemed so sincere. Hermione didn't know what to do. He took a step closer to her, then another, and another.

"Let me make it up to you," he whispered. Hermione had rarely heard such a whisper. There was a hint of need in it and she felt shivers run down her spine.

He came even closer to her and placed his hand around her neck.

"Pro… Professor," she stuttered. She couldn't back up any more; the wall was in the way. His face was closing in on hers…. The feelings of hate and loathing forgotten….

Hermione sat up.

She was on the sofa where Malfoy had left her.

She looked out the window; it was still dark.

At least no one would be able to discern her blush. His lips had been soft, his need great.

Her blush deepened. She tried to stifle her giggles as she snuck up to bed.

--

It was his last class of the day and Severus ignored the Advanced Potions students as best he could. Minerva was plaguing him about that upcoming ball of hers and Miss Granger hadn't reported a way around that stupid dance. Other than that it had been a good day.

He glanced down the rows of students to her. If she could only stop looking so damned innocent. It just made him feel worse, a grown man dreaming about a young luscious girl.

She glanced up and her eyes locked with his. He felt his entire body respond as she… yes, she blushed.

She had no right to blush. He had irritated and provoked her yesterday, and today, she blushed. She shouldn't blush, she should glare.

Snape didn't know what to do. She made his nerves stand on edge and his senses dance to their own tune.

Good thing she was a completely unattractive…ugly.. oh, what's the use?

Gryffindors are so stupid and forgiving. Why had she forgiven him for giving her a detention? She deserved it for calling him names, but still, he had provoked her.

He glared holes in the blackboard. She made him furious! If she could only go back to being a snotty twelve-year-old who stole ingredients! But oh no, she had to develop breasts and lips and hips and…and! He snarled and looked out over the throng of students. Those closest to him looked up and stared at him with frightened eyes.

He only hoped one of them would say something so that he could tear his or her head off.

No one was that stupid.

He walked over to his desk and sat down to murder some reports.

He was going to get her out of his head. With spells if he had to!

He engrossed himself with splattering the poor parchments with red ink when he heard chairs scrape and people moving.

He looked up. No one had actually left their seats but they seemed restless. He raised an eyebrow. Then he looked at his watch. Ah….

"Leave me the vials." He sighed. He had calmed somewhat after the intense slaughter of homework.

When Granger's vial was placed before him, he calmly gave it an O and waved her away.

He was satisfied to hear her gasp in sheer shock.

She had made it flawlessly, so why not? He heard them file out and the room settled down to its best, empty and silent.

"Sir?" He looked up. He groaned, Miss Granger hadn't filed out with the others.

"What do you want, Granger?" He asked not so politely, as she was ruining his good mood by just standing there.

"My detention Professor, you never said when I was going to serve my detention."

Bugger.

"Tonight then, if you are so eager."

Bugger.

"Um….What time professor?" She seemed nervous.

Bugger bugger damn damn shit!

"Half past seven, now leave, Miss Granger." He stood up and loomed over her.

It worked so well, she basically jumped out. It was nice being tall.

As the door slammed behind her he slumped in his chair. It had been such a good day. No cauldrons blowing up, it was the right temperature in the dungeons, he hadn't seen Minerva all day except for lunch, and she hadn't spoken to him then. Then, Little Miss Granger had to waltz up to him and demand her detention. Stuck-up-good-for-nothing-know-it-all that she was.

He massaged his temples.

Severus had to be in his quarters tonight. Damn, he just had to set the girl up to sorting books or something.

--

"Naw! I can't believe it!" Ron exclaimed. he and Harry had been standing outside, waiting for her. "Snape doesn't give O's to Gryffindors!"

"I know! Still, I got one."

"I think he's up to something," Harry warned ominously.

His comment made Hermione shiver. He had been up to something in her dream. Why did it have to be a pleasant kind of dream? Thinking about it, the dream sounded like a nightmare, but the feeling when she had awakened was one of pleasure from the dream and sadness upon it ending.

Something must be wrong with her brain. Their eyes had met during class and she had blushed. She promised herself never to blush because of him, ever again!

With his piercing black eyes, her brain felt exposed with every glance from him.

"Are you okay, Hermione?" Ron asked. "You seem dazed, is it because of your detention?"

"_Oh yes..._" She thought.

"Oh no," she said. "I was just thinking about things."

"Yeah, I've been thinking about things too," Harry said. "Mostly about that dance."

"Yeah about that, when's the mailbox coming up?" Ron asked eagerly.

"When Malfoy and I finish it. There's a lot of spells to put on it," she informed them and swept off to Arithmancy.

She walked in silence, looking at her feet. There had to be a spell to block Snape from her mind. She walked up to the second floor thinking that maybe she could nip in to the library before lunch and maybe…. Her foot sank down one of the trick steps in the staircase.

Oh shoot.

She was going to be late, and Professor Vector was going to be annoyed.

Hermione pulled fruitlessly at her leg and tried a levitation spell. She was stuck.

There was no one around, everyone had gone to their next class, and she was stuck.

"Where's my prince in shining armour when I need one?"

She tried to jump out but only sunk in further. If she screamed, what would happen? She couldn't even sit down and wait for the class to end.

Hermione felt a tug around her waist as someone pulled her by magic up and out of the step.

"I do not know about shining armour, Miss Granger…."

She turned and saw _him_ looking calmly at her, his wand in one hand and three books tucked under the other.

She tried to not hiss as she thanked him.

He gave her a curt nod and moved off.

His eyes, why did she have to focus on those eyes!

She stomped off to Arithmancy.


	7. Chapter 6

An: so… I got some sweet reviews and just couldn't help myself. Here's an update. JK owns the load. AND I am still suffering from reading and writing disabilities.

Edit: this chapter has been betad by nevillesgirlfriend

**The Souls heart**

_Chapter six_

Hermione waved goodnight to the guys and left the common room. She'd been studying with Ron and Harry the whole evening, but now she had to go. He would be waiting.

She gulped.

For some inexplicable reason, she felt a bit uneasy about a detention with Snape.

She knew he was her professor and that he wouldn't do anything, yet… somewhere in her mind she felt that…. She shook herself. She was being silly.

Nevertheless, the nameless dread grew as she drew closer to his now empty classroom. There would only be the two of them.

She swallowed hard as she lifted her hand and knocked on the door.

"Come," rang his sharp, dark voice, and she opened the door.

There was no one in the room, yet it was not completely silent.

She scanned the scenery one more time and saw him.

His head could just barley be seen above the desktop and she heard him mutter and slide out desk drawers.

When he saw her he straightened up to his full height and brushed off his robe.

"Fine, it's not here," he said to himself. "Ah, Miss Granger, I am sad to inform you that the detention will not be served in here but in my quarters. I am expecting someone."

She said nothing, but nodded slightly.

He swept past her, and she followed him down the corridor. It didn't take them long to reach his quarters, but Hermione was afraid she might never get back out from the labyrinth of the dungeons.

Snape muttered a password, and they walked in.

It was a mess. Hermione tried to see past that to get some understanding of the room's proportions. To her amazement, she saw that the only things cluttering the room were books and papers, and they were everywhere.

Other than that it was greener that she preferred these days, after being locked in red rooms for so long… it was nice and had a cosy fireplace. She saw to her satisfaction that silver was a scarcity, and the complementing colour to his room was a dark brown wood, featured in the floor and furniture.

Snape walked over to his buried desk and started to dig amongst the books. He scanned the covers and then put them aside. He seemed to grow more and more impatient.

Hermione stood nervous, wondering what her task was, as the nameless dread that had so gripped her while walking down here evaporated upon seeing the professor on his knees going through his desk and so utterly uninterested in her.

When she heard his irritated mutterings grow she coughed slightly to remind him of her presence.

He swivelled around and calmed at the sight of her.

"Yes... Granger. Your task is to sort the books in here. The ones that are mine and the ones from the library. You shall sort mine alphabetically onto the bookshelf." He pointed at a nearly full and also messy bookshelf, the books stood and lay every which way. Hermione wanted to sigh. This was going to take forever. "But you are not to touch my desk. The books on my desk are off-limits." Saying this, he gathered up some of the strewn-about books and placed them on his desk.

"Alright, sir." she seated herself on the floor in front of his bookshelf and reached for the nearest books when she heard Snape prying through the stacks on his desk again.

Several minutes later he startled her by swearing out loud.

She turned to stare at him.

"Don't give that innocent look," he softly said, again startling her. He wasn't paying attention to her and she was quite sure by the sound of his voice that he barely knew he had said it but… the sincerity. The plea... she didn't know what to make of it so she just did as he asked and averted her eyes.

"Miss Granger," he said a short time later. It was in his normal sharp tone and made her relax… a bit. "I am going out to look for a book I thought I had. If anyone comes, direct them in to my other room."

She nodded and he walked past her and out. He had a very determined walk. He made those robes billow behind him majestically…. She sighed and looked over the room. So many books!

She stood up and tried to gather those that were farthest away from her so that she wouldn't have to run around the room.

The covers were mostly blank but the titles were really interesting. She wished that she could have the right to borrow some of them.

As she sorted she noticed most of the books were his, and nearly fifty percent of the library's were from the restricted area.

He really read a lot.

A large green flame erupted from the fireplace, and someone stepped through.

Hermione turned to direct the person to the other room, but she didn't say anything.

It was a woman standing there, and she was beautiful.

She had long lovely thick blonde hair that Hermione would have killed for. The guest fixed her cold eyes on the girl and moved over to her with indecently long legs well suited to her long, thin stature. Hermione felt fat as this gorgeous woman seated herself with a gleeful smile in an armchair facing Hermione. She was Hermione's opposite, and everything Hermione wished she were. Hermione hated her instantly.

"My, my," said the thin blonde from the armchair. Hermione felt those chilly eyes look her up and down. "If it isn't the Granger girl who helped save the world." The voice wasn't pleasant, it was low and smooth but with an undertone of mockery.

"It is. Snape said that you should wait in the other room." Hermione tried not to sound sullen. At least her breasts were bigger than this scarecrow. What did Snape want with this skinny thing anyway? Sure the woman was pretty, but she was still no Fleur Delacour.

"He did, did he? Well, I don't feel like waiting in the bedroom for him."

Hermione tensed. Was she going to sit her sorting books while Snape had… she paled.

"Where is Severus, anyway?" the woman asked. She wasn't much older than Hermione; she could have been Snape's daughter. And she didn't look like a prostitute. No she surely wasn't… was she?

"Sev...Professor Snape went to look for a book." Hermione's voice was level and she didn't care in the slightest what this girl's profession was.

"I should have known." The girl seemed confident here, so this obviously wasn't her first visit… she seemed to know Snape, as she had called him by his first name..

Hermione continued to sort books in silence yet she felt those eyes upon her all the time. What was the girl doing here?

To Hermione's relief Snape walked through the door not long after. Now the blonde was his problem and not hers.

He stopped in the doorway as he saw the blonde. He had clearly found the book, as he had it tucked under his arm.

"Ari, you're here," he said flatly, and shot Hermione a dark look.

The blonde stood up and smiled brightly at Snape, something Hermione hadn't seen anyone do since he came out of his death some months ago.

"Don't blame your maid Severus. I said I didn't want to wait in the bedroom." The voice was now free of that undertone she had had whilst talking to Hermione. Ergo, the girl was actually happy to see the professor. Stranger things had happened. And maid?

"She's a student with detention," Snape said, his voice did not reveal any joy, not a shocker.

"She must be something, as she gets to touch your books, Severus," the girl teased.

"I thought I could trust the head-girl with them." He was trying to wave the subject away and walked over to the door leading in to his bedroom.

Hermione turned back to the bookshelf.

"Oh," the sarcasm was back in the woman's voice. "Some privileges head-girls do have."

Was she jealous?

"Yes they have, the heads share private lodgings, they get to walk the school later at night, they have more responsibilities so it's natural they earn more trust from their professors," Snape muttered, clearly annoyed that the blonde didn't seem to want to follow him. "Come now Ari, we can talk in here."

Hermione dared a glance as the woman was ushered in the other room, their eyes met and she didn't receive a friendly glance. She didn't know if hate could bloom that fast or if jealousy just didn't play well over that pretty face.

Hermione was nearly finished when the two walked out of his bedroom.

They hadn't, had they? No of course not. Snape had said talking right, and the blonde was nearly half his age….

Hermione didn't look at the blond called Ari as she grabbed a handful of floopowder and disappeared, but she felt the icy looks burn into her back.

"Miss Granger."

Hermione didn't turn from where she was standing.

"Miss Granger." His voice was even sharper this time.

"Yes Professor? I'm almost done, sir." She couldn't meet his eyes.

"You…," he hesitated but kept his voice firm "Miss Winter's visit here is not something you are to blab about to the school."

Was she his girlfriend? She couldn't have been she was definitely too pretty for the professor and way too young.

"Is that an order Professor?" She asked trying not to picture the rumours of the professor having a beautiful girlfriend spread across the school.

He held his voice even, but the threat was evident. "If I hear of her visit here whispered in the hallways, you will regret it, Miss Granger."

She put the last book in to the bookshelf and nodded.

"I won't tell anyone." So she was his girlfriend? What had they been doing in his bedroom? Why did she care? Well it was disgusting to have been outside when he…went at it.

He nodded. "You're dismissed, Granger"

As she walked up the stairs to her rooms she didn't understand why she felt inclined to return the hate from the offensively pretty Miss Winter... and why she kept repeating the same sentence in her head over and over again.

"_But he sees me in the mirror. But he sees me in the mirror. But he sees me in the mirror…"_


	8. Chapter 7

An: Yay reviews! ooooh I'm popular. Thanks All reviewers, you spur me to write more often (even though I shouldn't cuz I have more important stuff to do) but all the nice reviews... I couldn't resist

Edit: this chapter has been betad by nevillesgirlfriend

**The ****Soul's Heart**

_Chapter 7_

Snape wanted to fling his glass of fire-whisky into the fireplace. What must she think of him? Ari had teased him to no end about the young girl in his quarters, touching his precious books. But he'd made her shut up, hadn't he.

Snape smirked as he remembered the flair of hatred that had bloomed in Ari's blue eyes.

Poor Miss Granger. He shouldn't really have put her in Ari's line of fire… but….

The girl had saved his life; she had found the Second Breath Elixir in his rooms and fed it to him.

Was it her fault that he saw her in that stupid goddess's mirror? Was it her fault she saw him?

Severus let his head fall into his hand.

Stupid girls.

Freja, goddess of love…HA! What did she know? Lonely silly tart that she was. Nordic gods were useless, they were even mortals… if hadn't it been for those damn apples of longevity…

He shook his head, what was the use to blame a nearly extinct religion?

The problem was his old time enemy: Love.

Love. He had no wish to be dragged in to its clutches again. Last time it had abandoned him, married his most hated bully, yet made him risk his life for seventeen years and nearly resulted in his death. No. Love could stuff it for all Severus cared.

Not that he was in love now, but females, the mirror, plus a ball could very well drag him in a catastrophe that centred on that old wretched emotion.

Ari and her bottled up emotions and her stupid pride.

Miss Granger with her messed up emotion and her annoying innocence.

Minerva and her mirror-game and her insufferable Ball.

Yes, females were entangling his life again, and the result could only be a disaster.

Severus's eyes reflected the dancing flames.

He had an undesirable urge to look in to that mirror again. To see a girl wanting him. The images from his dreams of the little brunette danced in the fire.

How ridiculous he was, an old man looking at her, wanting such a precious rose.

Severus could picture Ari's response if she knew how right she had been about the head-girl. Even so, he couldn't shake those brown eyes out of his mind, the curving of her lips, the scent of her hair.

He tore himself out of his armchair and flung his glass into the fire.

It blazed, and the images that had danced in it disappeared.

He promised himself that this silliness would end tonight. He would never entertain thoughts like these ever again!

--

"His room was a compete mess? I don't believe it!" Ron said happily, with half a toast in his mouth. He shouldn't really have it. They were walking off to class and him being a prefect and all…. But Hermione let it pass this once.

"Yes, it is quite a surprise. He seems to enjoy order to the extreme," she said smiling.

"Positively fascistly if you ask me," Harry agreed.

"Truly," Ron agreed. "So what did the evil old zombie do when you were sorting his books?"

Hermione wasn't sure if she even wanted to talk about Miss Winter even if she would be allowed to. She instinctively didn't like her. Hermione couldn't shake the feeling that the woman was interfering on her turf for some reason. Odd really. Snape wasn't hers. She didn't want Snape. Yet she knew she didn't want the Ari woman to have him. The feeling that Snape was hers yet not wanting him would give her a headache. It had last night. She had barely slept, and just kept thinking of him seeing her and wondering why she felt that Ari were interfering with something she didn't want.

"He was mostly looking for a book he had misplaced. No wonder considering the mess of books and papers."

Ron nodded. Harry had stopped listening, and they walked on.

"When's the mailbox finished?" Harry asked "'Cause I was kind of wondering if it works with in-school, too." Hermione rolled her eyes at the boy-who-had-faced-voldemort-but-didn't-dare-face-a-girl.

"Why won't you just ask Ginny. She'd be delighted you know."

Harry squirmed.

Hermione sighed. "Yes, the mailbox will work inside school, too. Malfoy's putting it up as we speak."

"Good," the boys echoed, one relived and one excited.

Draco wasn't actually putting up the mailbox as they spoke, but he was just about to… or soon in any case.

He was, however, standing with Greg, Daphne and Pansy, talking just a few steps from where he had intended to put up the box.

"I can't believe you're so mean," Pansy said and laughed.

"I wished I could have been there to see their faces," Greg chuckled in his low voice.

"Well what can I say, I just love seeing them squirm," Draco shrugged.

Then he turned to Daphne who hadn't said anything for a while. She looked intently at him.

"You know it's kind of weird….You know who our soul mates are," she grimaced at the last words. "But you haven't given us one hint at who you see."

Draco's gleeful smile faded.

"Yeah, Drake," Pansy said giving him a quizzical look. "Why is that?"

He tried to look just as unperturbed as usual. "Maybe you don't know the person."

"Really?" Daphne continued but didn't look convinced; Draco recalled why he didn't associate too readily with the Greengrass girls- they thought too much. "If you didn't know who it was you wouldn't care, and you'd have described her to us by know. We all told you, 'fess up Malfoy. What are you so ashamed about?"

"Maybe she's butt ugly!" Greg laughed

"Or maybe there is something really embarrassing about her." Pansy smiled.

"Can't be that bad," Daphne sneered.

"_It is."_ Draco thought, but smiled. "We'll never know, but I need to put this thing up now," he smiled and gestured to the box.

He saw Daphne's eyes sparkle.

Draco mentally shook himself. This mirror thing was getting too complicated. Professor Snape was right, they should cancel the whole thing.

As he started to walk over to the chosen wall, he saw someone who made him smile inwardly. Seamus Finnegan. This was his chance.

The Gryffindor was walking by himself and reading a book.

Draco glanced over at his so-called friends, then he whistled over at Finnegan.

The boy looked up and saw him. Finnegan's face darkened.

"What do ye want Malfoy."

"As head-boy I order you to help me with this," he said. It was a stupid excuse but as good as any.

Finnegan grumbled and walked over.

"Hold it in place, and I'll fasten it," Draco ordered.

"You could just have levitated it, then fastened it. Why do you need me?"

"Well, Finnegan. That's for me to know and you to guess...oh move it a little higher. No lower. To the right. Higher. More to the right… no, left! There. Hold it steady." Oh, how fun to torment Gryffindors. "So Finnegan are you going to the dance?" Draco asked, as he pretended to look for something in his bag. Seamus Finnegan stood in a most uncomfortable position and the strains were making his face red.

"NO!" he said. "Hurry up will you."

"Awww, come on Finnegan, you have to go, we're counting on you."

"Fuck you Malfoy and fasten the damn box."

Draco smiled. "Oh, soon. What's your favourite colour?"

"For fuck sake, stop being such an arse and fasten the damn thing!" Finnegan shouted. Draco shook his head smiling

"Since you ask so politely, it's so hard to say no to you Finnegan." He gave the Gryffindor his best mocking smile and fastened the box.

"Do me a favour Malfoy and drop dead!" Finnegan said as he straightened up. "Oh and I hope your friends enjoyed the show." He finished sarcastically.

Draco turned and saw the three of his friend looking at him. He smiled at them and walked away feeling their eyes following him. At least the damn box was up and could pester everyone's life now, and not just his. He'd have to remember to curse that idiot Thomas for coming up with this whole ball thing in the first place.

--

Hermione looked the elderly woman in the face. She used to be so stern, these days she seemed to do nothing but smile. Was she truly turning in to Dumbledore?

"And the mailbox is up now, correct?" McGonagall asked.

"Yes, Professor. It's up and we have taken many precautions so that it is impossible to invite muggles and so on."

"Good. Very good," McGonagall said and flicked through some papers.

"As we are on the subject Professor, I think it's unfair for those who's partners are unknown or not there to be forced to dance."

"Tish-tosh girl, it's just one dance." Did McGonagall just say tish-tosh? Was the world ending or was the headmistress slowly going insane? Well, if the headmistress wouldn't listen to reason, then truth might do the trick.

"It's a long dance Ma'am and there are people who would rather not dance with the person in their reflection." Now McGonagall looked up and removed her glasses.

"Not too happy with your soul's choice?"

"No. And I know I am far from the only one." She looked steadily in to the older woman's eyes. This might just work!

"That's too bad, my girl." Minerva said softly. "Because the person pictured to you in my mirror is the person your soul loves."

Hermione stared at the headmistress. "That's a lie! I don't love him!"

"I didn't say you did, my dear" Minerva continued and, to Hermione's horror, took out the hated thing and showed Snape to her again. "He who is pictured in here is not as they say _the one._ Freja did not believe that there was only one out there for each of us, but this is the person who's soul's heart matches your own; you are not destined for each other. This person in here is just who your soul loves, and you can count on it that his soul loves yours back."

Hermione only stared at the professor sitting at his desk. He wasn't that handsome in real life. But even so she saw no difference between him in there and the man who pulled her out of the staircase. But he was definitely more handsome in the mirror.

McGonagall lowered the mirror.

"He is very handsome, is he not?"

"In there he is," Hermione grumbled.

"That's how you'd see him if you'd look at him with loving eyes."

Hermione's mouth fell open.

"Close that mouth. The ball is going to happen, you will dance with this boy if he shows at the dance, and that's the end of that."

Damn, Hermione had to be there because she was one of the arrangers, and Professor Snape was a teacher and had to be there as well. Minerva was just as stern as before, but now it was wrapped under a smiling face.

Hermione's heart sank, but she nodded.

"Good girl. Stop sulking. I am sure your soul doesn't have that bad judgment."

"_Y__es it has," _the younger girl thought, then an idea struck her.

"In any case, Professor Snape thinks it's a bad idea and wants this dance cancelled."

"HA!" McGonagall laughed "So it's Severus who's put you up to this! Well you go down there and tell him that there is no chance I'll stop this dance now. Oh, and would you give him this?"

Hermione took the outstretched parcel and nodded. She did not want to meet the professor now, not after what the headmistress had said. But what choice did she have?

It took her some time to find the door to his chambers. Damn labyrinth dungeons.

She knocked at the door and waited.

Nothing happened, so she knocked again. School was over, so he had to be in.

At her third knock, he opened the door.

"WHAT?!" he roared and flung the door open; it only missed her by half an inch.

Hermione looked up at the tall professor.

He was wet, the long hair plastered along his pale body. He had a light blue towel around his waist. Other than that he was naked.

"It's you. What do you want?"

She handed the parcel to him and he took it with out a word.

"Are you quite finished with staring at my body, Granger? I have a shower to finish."

Always so rude. Like she enjoyed looking at his pale and somewhat scarred torso.

"Didn't know you took showers, sir." She mumbled as she turned away.

She felt a hand grip her collar and drag her back to the door.

Snape held her two inches from his face.

"Don't push your luck girl, just because some goddess thinks we make a good couple doesn't mean you can drop your respect for your teachers!" he hissed at her between gritted teeth.

It had to be a lie; her soul could not love this mean monster.

He let her go.

"You give me one more of those big eyed looks Granger and I'll rip out your eyes."

"I...I…What?"

"Do you want another detention?"

She tripped over her feet to get out of there.


	9. Chapter 8

AN: So I thought some of you might enjoy an update. And please leave some reviews they really make me want to update. Come on it's for the sake of the story…

**Chapter 8**

_The __Soul's Heart_

Her heart pounded. she really tried to concentrate on the cauldron in front of her, but it was so hard. Hard when he was walking about and so close to her.

This was so unfair. She had no feelings for him, she didn't like him in the slightest yet…. Yet he affected her this much?

His pale torso played once more before her inner eye, his breath once again on her face, and his steely eyes boring in to hers. That intense gaze had torn right into her deepest self. Had their souls met for a rendezvous in those dark eyes?

She shook herself. This was madness. If she had only been able to destroy the awful mirror!

"Daydreaming in my class, Miss Granger?" a far too recognisable voice whispered in her ear.

She jumped and turned to look up at him.

So tall. His hands behind his back and an eyebrow raised in ... annoyance? amusement? Her soul saw him as handsome, so if she only tried to perceive him as such maybe she'd….

She quickly whipped her gaze away. He was just as in the mirror! The only thing she had had to do was open her eyes, and he was there.

Her hands shook. Professor Snape was… Professor Snape was… he was handsome.

"Is there a problem, Miss Granger? Cat got your tongue?"

"N…no sir." She couldn't look at him. It was a hallucination! He was ugly! Old, ugly and foul! Trick of the light! Besides, if she looked at him, she might look at him in the wrong way, and he'd have to gore her eyes out.

"That brew won't make it self. Five points from Gryffindor for slacking in class." And he strode away.

She breathed out. No, he wasn't handsome.

Stupid Hermione. Make your brew and forget that old bat.

She tried.

The brew was a disaster at the end of the lesson. It was mud thick and spew green. Either that was what Martha Willower thought summer green looked like, or Hermione had failed.

With heavy feet, she walked up to leave her vial.

She felt the professor looking at her. She was avoiding his form completely.

Hermione tried to put the vial in the stand without looking at the professor but he was right behind the desk and making it very hard for her.

As she fumbled with the glass tube, she heard a heavy sigh and felt his cold fingers relieve her of the vial.

The small patch where their flesh had met burned.

"This is disgraceful Miss Granger."

"Yes, sir."

"Yes, the brew as well, but I meant the childish way you refuse to look at me."

Hermione's cheeks flushed. She looked around. She was the last one there. As always it would seem. She shouldn't have waited to go up to him this long.

She forced her eyes upwards and on to him. "_Snape'sUglySnape'sUglySnape'sUgly."_

Tall and yet slender with his emperor stance. The pale flesh, so potent against his dark robe and framed by his long black hair. And the eyes…, they tore into her with the gentle force of a storm. DAMN!

"You said you didn't like me looking at you yesterday."

Snape raised his right arm and massaged his temples.

"Miss Granger, I merely wanted you to stop looking at me like a frightened deer in headlights."

She looked down at his desk.

"Yeah, that's easy when you grab me without a warning like some rag and scream at me from an inch away."

He made an irritated sound and waved her away. "Go, Granger. Just go."

--------------------------------------

"You spend more time with Snape than you do with us," Harry pointed out as they walked to dinner.

"Yeah! What's up? You marrying the fool?" Ron asked. He had the letter for Tara the flying redheaded wonder in his hand.

"Yes, how did you know." Hermione muttered. "No, the man's plaguing me that's all."

"The ball?" Harry asked and put a hand on her shoulder.

She gave him a vague gesture that might just have been yes.

They stopped by the stupid mailbox and Ron posted his invitation. Hermione felt a slight sting. He was her ex after all. As they turned to leave she noticed Harry trying to discreetly post a note himself. He really failed, but she and Ron said nothing.

The rest of the day was bad. Hermione felt her mind wandering to the evil bastard in the dungeons. It was very inconvenient. When she had harboured romantic feelings before … not that she was romantic about her professor (scorn the thought) but, well… before she had been able to work and be social without fading out.

The boys tried to wiggle it out of her but she excused herself and blamed stress. She was sure they didn't believe her.

Harry had even asked if it had to do with Ron mailing Glennen and she told Harry that she was only happy for Ron to have some new girl to fuss over. He seemed to believe her, and it really wasn't the Glennen girl. It was Snape.

It was a relief to finally reach the head's rooms and throw herself down on the couch. "This whole ball thing can go to hell," she said in to a green pillow.

"I agree," Malfoy answered and put his history homework aside.

Hermione lifted herself out of the pillow and looked up at the blond. He didn't look half bad staring in to the fire.

"I tried making McGonagall cancel it yesterday. She only went hippie on me and said no."

"Hippie, ay?"

"Yeah, saying stuff about my soul having a crush, and not destiny, but astral love and stuff."

Draco turned to her and raced an amused eyebrow. Why couldn't he teach Snape to show what kind of emotion he was feeling.

"Astral love? Merlin's briefs she's losing her marbles faster than Dumbledore's cooling in his grave."

"That's not a very nice likeness."

"I'm not a very nice person."

"Yes, you are." She threw the pillow at him, and he smiled as he caught it.

"Now you're just teasing me, Granger." He stood up and walked over to the fire. His entire body language changed. "Last I looked I was still an ex-death eater who spent years bullying you and all other muggleborns I could find. I nearly killed one of you with that damn necklace."

He seemed sincerely troubled. How did this happen? They were just joking around.

"Katie is fine. No one actually died by your hand…right?"

"Not directly, but I'll have to wear the mark all my life." He shook himself and turned to smile at her. "Forget that now. The past is over and there is no time like the present."

She gave him a nervous glance. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Fine."

"Well if it's any solace, you have improved. You're not insulting muggleborns anymore and you can be quite civil when you want." She nudged him.

To her great shock he grabbed her hand and dragged her towards him.

What?! Had all Slytherins gone mad?

"Only around you, Granger" he smirked. He wasn't as tall as Ron or Professor Snape, but she was still short next to him. The firelight made his silver eyes dance.

"Malfoy, what the hell?!" He let her go, still sporting that taunting smirk. She was blushing from the close encounter. He'd be quite stunning if he do something about that slimy hair, she noted.

"I wanted to ask you something Granger."

She said nothing. Was he coming on to her? But he hated her? Well clearly not, but... Malfoy and.. .her? That's just wrong!

"Since my date won't come to the ball and you clearly despise yours, we should go together."

She blinked at him.

"We are Head Boy and Girl, so it's expected." He continued looking very triumphant indeed.

"Malfoy…," Hermione started. "You're not actually hitting on me, are you? You can't really fancy me. And I'm not the person in your mirror because you're not in mine."

His smile faded and he sat down.

"No Granger, I don't fancy you. I was, however, trying to hit on you."

Hermione was horror-struck. Malfoy was... what? "Why?" She asked meekly. How could he do this to her? Snape was becoming attractive and Malfoy was trying to come on to her. She was losing it.

He sighed and looked down at his hands, "I knew all along who'd I see in the mirror, and I was right. Sadly they don't return my feelings and," he paused and sighed, "never will." He turned to her, "You remind me of…that person."

"I do?!" What the hell? Malfoy baring his heart to her? And what was up with him not using specific pronouns?

He turned to stare in to the flames "Yes. Honourable, stubborn, loyal, all that Gryffindor stuff. So I've been toying with the thought of you instead of... well, that other person, but I couldn't move my feelings on to you, so it didn't work. In the end, you're not my type."

"Oh…," she stared at him. He was more complex than he let on. Who was he hiding in his heart? Maybe it wouldn't have been so bad trying to move her weird attraction of Snape on to Malfoy. At least he was handsome. Here a small and very annoying voice contributed with _"But you think Snape's handsome too…"_

"So what's your type then, Malfoy?" she asked. He looked at her and smiled secretly.

"I'll tell if you'll tell." He stood up and took his history homework with him.

Hermione sat on the couch, thinking. Then she shouted at Malfoy's retreating back. "What's up with the weird pronouns?"

He stopped in mid-step. He didn't turn. "What do you mean?" He knew what she meant.

"Why do you never call the person in the mirror _she_ or _her_?"

"_Or for that matter he…"_she thought.

It took the boy several seconds to answer.

"Either I don't know what gender my mysterious lover has, or I am trying to ease the pain with alienation." That was the only answer she got because he then disappeared into his room.

Hermione shrugged and went to bed. She didn't want to tell anyone who she saw either. It was bad enough Snape knew.

She snuck into bed and closed her eyes. He was standing there half naked again, but this time he wasn't scowling. She didn't even try to fight her soul's heart. It was only a harmless fantasy.


	10. Chapter 9

AN: Ahhh! Look out! New chapter! So let's get this stuff over with: I suffer a spelling disorder that disables me from spelling well in my original language. And English is not that language. Secondly I don't own Harry Potter universe, JK Rowling does that. Now Onwards with the story!

**The ****Soul's Heart.**

_Chapter nine_

Walking along a deserted corridor. Patrolling. Boring, stupid patrolling. But, it was her own fault for walking on her own this evening. Since Malfoy had come on to her last night it had been rather strange hanging around him. She was not his type!? What had he meant by that?

Malfoy wasn't gay.... He couldn't be...could he? NO! He wasn't. What a stupid notion.

Hermione waved the thought away, and as soon as she did so a more familiar thought crept back in to her mind.

She winced at the far too familiar image of her barely-covered professor.

Why had she even tried to perceive Snape as handsome? It had been stupid. It was obvious from the mirror that she would find him attractive if she tried and now… now she couldn't see him as anything but handsome.

Sure, he was a mean old bugger… but she had brought him back to life and she was falling in… NO! No she wasn't!! SHE WASN'T! She was only crushing on him. Only…. She sighed and slumped down on a bench.

Why couldn't things be like they used to? Harry saving the world, and she and Ron fumbling with feelings. Now the war was over and things had changed. She was eighteen, still in school and crushing on her teacher, how humiliating. She wished the dark haired man would stop messing with her mind.

She looked down at her watch. Her shift would soon end.

She stood up and walked slowly back.

He could have had the decency to change into a more pleasant fellow now that the Dark Lord was gone. He should be happy, being free from spying and scheming…. Free from keeping up the pretences. Maybe if you play at something for too long…it sticks.

He must really be a lonely miserable old bat.

She sighed again. What in this world had possessed her soul to like his soul? Was it not as damaged and miserable as its container? Or did her soul suffer from the nurse complex?

She gave her own wit a half-hearted smile as she descended the stairs.

Someone else's steps echoed from down below. A rustle from a billowing robe. She rolled her eyes. Just her luck.

If she stood still he might pass without noticing her.

As she stopped and listened to his assent, she could almost hear him striding.

And sure enough it was her soul's desire that came walking out from a nearby gallery.

She wasn't surprised to see him with a stash of books under his arm. Snape was probably preparing a new book clutter in his rooms.

He hadn't seen her, which was a relief at least. Hermione looked down at her self, she was crouching. If he noticed her now, he would see that she was hiding from him. She wouldn't hear the end of it.

And why was she hiding? She had all right to walk past him without acknowledged him!

She stretched and walked confidently down the stairs.

He looked up at her. Most likely alerted by her descending steps.

His eyes…NO! Get a grip girl!

She gave him a curt nod, as her heart mysteriously missed a beat.

He nodded back without stopping. That was a bit odd that he admitted her presence….

She smiled secretly as she happily skipped over a trick step in the stair. No need to pull her out this time!

Bad idea skipping. It's hard to find your footing on a staircase when you hop around stupidly.

She fell.

Snape turned at her shrill cry to see a wide eyed Hermione falling towards him. It was raining women, halleluiah….

He didn't think, just let the books drop and caught the falling girl before she knocked them both over.

He held her suspended in mid air. She could clearly feel his hands firmly gripping her waist.

They stood with their eyes locked and unblinking.

Hermione flushed slightly. There was some sort of spell between them.

She saw something flash through his eyes, some emotion that was buried in those enchanting depths before she could understand it.

If she bent her head just an inch her lips would touch his.

Were those black abysses thinking the same thing?

Her eyes flickered down towards his lips and the spell was broken.

Her prince un-charming had saved her yet again from the evil staircases of Hogwarts. Honestly did they have it in for her? Or were they playing matchmaker?

Snape lowered her gently to the ground.

He was tall. She would have to stand on tiptoe to reach those thin lips.

"Are you all right, Miss Granger?" he asked her. She stared disbelievingly at him.

"Ye—yes sir."

"Good." Snape looked away from her and down at his books.

She saw him paint a displeased look across his features, as he surveyed the discarded literature on the floor.

"Stop gawking, Miss Granger, and help me pick these books up," he sneered.

She nodded; the spell was definitely broken. The prince was again a pumpkin.

When the five books were safely in the professor's arms again he gave her a cold nod and swept off.

She stood looking after him.

He had asked if she been alright. He had acknowledged her. Maybe he had changed, if only a little. She smiled and walked away to her common room.

She flowed into the room on feet of air.

No, she wasn't in love with the ghastly professor, but, she giggled, she was definitely falling for him.

She stretched out on the couch. Malfoy didn't seem to be in.

Snape smelled good. Apparently he did take showers. Oh, well she already knew that… she giggled again.

Damn, she was love struck...Except it wasn't love. She was merely having some premature feelings for an older man. She had read that that happened sometimes and it would pass.

It was natural, so nothing wrong with indulging in a little premature infatuation.

She blushed and giggled again. She was definitely feeling like the giddy school girl she was.

She sat up and wondered, with the blush still burning her cheeks, if she should doodle hearts on her parchment with his initials in them.

She fell backwards again. Oh, it felt good. Surrendering to her feelings like this. She rarely surrendered to anything….

She certainly wouldn't doodle hearts, but it was the feeling that counted.

"Oh, Professor, we shouldn't…" she whispered.

"What did you just say?" Hermione shot up and stared in panic at the Quidditch-clad Malfoy in the doorway.

"Did you hear me?" she asked in alarm.

"Something something _we shouldn't_" he mocked her in a high-pitched voice "But," he continued, "I did see you tossing and turning like some love-sick puppy."

She flushed even redder.

"I…," Hermione began. What had she been doing? She was smart and mature. She was composure personified! She wasn't like this! This wasn't her. She was better than this. Oh, the shame of being caught.

"You don't have to explain," he laughed and walked over to the fire to remove his rain-soaked green coat. He looked darn good wet and smiling. Good thing she was already blushing.

"You had some lovey-dovey encounter with some bloke."

"I never…," she protested.

"Oh and if this denial is anything to go after...," he smirked and pushed his hand through his damp hair, "it was with that mysterious soul mirror guy."

She huffed and looked away from him.

"It was! Oh my Granger…," he flung himself down on the other side of the couch. "So…did he ask you to the stupid dance?"

"No."

"Ah. You asked him."

Hermione looked down at her crossed arms. "No," she said quietly. Just the thought, Snape would kill her on the spot. Yet that flickering emotion in his eyes….

"Oh Granger, Come On!" he groaned.

"What, Malfoy, what?" she said flinging around to glare at him. "It's not like you asked your one out!"

He looked sincerely at her. "No Granger, I did." He looked in to the fire. "First day, I posted an invitation. They haven't answered. I doubt they'll do anything but burn the card."

She softened slightly. "Burn… that's a bit harsh. "You must be exaggerating."

"I'm not," he answered gravely and stood up. "If I were you I'd run to my guy this minute and ask him out."

Was Malfoy after a guy? Or was that just in her perspective? Scary thought, him playing for the other team and all of womanhood losing such a handsome man.

"I can't Malfoy. hates me."

"HA! Sure, like you would moan and giggle about some guy that hated you. Grow some balls Granger, you're supposed to be a Gryffindor for fuck sake. I'm taking a shower." He took his coat and went up to his room.

"Yeah, if I had balls.. Then I'd be your type," Hermione muttered and stood up. Why had Malfoy had to use the Gryffindor line on her? Now she would have to ask the Professor out. Bugger.

Oh well, there was no time like the present.

----

Hermione found herself running down the corridors. If she didn't run, she might chicken out. Her heart pounded in her ears. That was a good thing, now she wouldn't hear her thoughts telling her about all the disastrous endings this might have!

She slowed before rounding the corner leading to Snape's quarters, to catch her breath before harassing her professor.

She walked slowly towards the ominous door, trying to block out the urge to run screaming away from it.

Would he scorn her or merely laugh in her face? Probably both.

He would look up at her from his desk with his eyebrow raised and than he would laugh at her and scorn her foolishness. He would call her a "stupid girl" or maybe he'd get enraged and scream at her, say things to hurt her.

She stood by the door. She gulped and raised her hand to knock. There was a small possibility that he might say yes. That he had too felt something when he held her….

The head girl stopped her hand before it knocked. The door was slightly ajar.

She opened the door and cautiously stepped inside. "Hello?"

He had definitely tried to build up a new mess. Books and papers were everywhere. A fire was burning steadily and by the desk stood…oh.

Hermione's heart sank. She'd forgotten about her.

The blond turned to look at her.

"Dear me. You run around here freely do you?" the thin girl asked her.

"I'm here to see Professor Snape and the door was open".

"Ah, so you're not at liberty to go as you please, you're just rude."

_That bitch_.

The blond swooped down in a near by armchair.

"Sorry but the good professor is out at the moment." She didn't sound sorry at all. And that mocking smile. Hermione wanted to punch that pretty little face! "What do you want with him at this hour anyway?" the abomination of sticks asked.

"It's about the ball," Hermione answered trying not to speak with gritted teeth.

"I heard about that. What's so special but this ball anyway?" Ari examined her nails.

"Nothing," Hermione said firmly. She wouldn't tell this wench about the mirror for all the gold in the world.

"Okay. Well I'm not one to miss a ball…."

"It's a restricted ball! Invitation only," Hermione blurted. Ari was NOT welcome.

Snape was hers. Hermione's nails itched to scratch the blue eyes out of the silly little thing in the armchair.

"Oh, I see." The girl studied Hermione, and Hermione didn't feel like she passed the test.

"Don't worry about me, Miss Green. I'm sure Snape will take me."

Hermione felt some inner part of her break. Who was this blond to just stomp in here and take her professor?

"What makes you so sure Snape will take you? You're young enough to be his daughter." Hermione managed to keep the hurt out of her voice.

"For one thing he owes me. I saved his life, you know." Ari smiled.

"What? No, I saved his life!"

Ari lifted a perfect eyebrow at her.

"Really, Miss Gardner. Who do you think brew the potion of Second Breath? I know he told you it wasn't him."

Hermione's inside dropped away. Ari was The Friend. The old friend of Snape's.

Hermione's heart sank. The other girl was perfect. She was blonde with blue eyes, and she was thin with long legs, and the bitch knew how to brew the world's most difficult potion. And on top of that Ari had saved Snape's Life. Hermione had nothing on her. Ari had won.

"Fine, I believe he'll take you." Hermione tried to laugh. It sounded hollow even to her.

"What's the matter Grainier? Jealous?" smirked the blond.

"No of course not. I'm going with Draco Malfoy."

Ari looked confused.

"Draco Malfoy? But I thought… I mean aren't you…," then the she wiped her face clear and looked poised and aloof again. "Good for you, he's closer to your age."

Ha! At least the woman wouldn't have the satisfaction of knowing that she hurt Hermione.

"Yes and very handsome too." Even if he might be gay. "I think I'll talk to Snape tomorrow instead." Hermione turned around "Nice speaking to you. And it's Granger by the way."

She walked out of the room holding her head high, leaving the wench confused in her armchair.

Outside in the corridor, Hermione's eyes couldn't hold it in any longer. Tears began to roll down her cheeks. She had lost Snape even before she had had him.

She headed up towards her room.

Oh fuck! She turned her face away as she met Snape heading down the stairs to the dungeon.

She felt him looking at her but she just walked on. He and his Ari could live happily ever after for all she cared.

The old pervert, having a woman half his age! She didn't care that she was probably younger than Ari.

The tears hadn't stopped when she walked in to the head common room. Malfoy looked up at her from his homework. They still had NEWTS coming up even though McGonagall was struck with dance fever.

Malfoy stood up and started to walk over to Hermione. She pointed her wand at him before he even came close.

"We are going to the dance together!" she said between sobs.

"Yeah, yeah, sure," Malfoy said with his hands in the air.

"Good," Hermione wailed and rushed up stairs to her room to lock herself in.


	11. Chapter 10

An: I am a non writing talented female in my best years, looking for any gender, spelling-genius to Beta for me. I enjoy Harry Potter love drams with a lot of humour. Please write back to me / Morloth

**The ****Soul's Heart**

_Chapter ten_

With the yearned for/dreaded ball fast approaching, the headmistress arranged an extra outing to Hogsmeade. The head-witch also organized a clothing bazaar in the village so that her charges would be able to buy themselves garments for her event. Every cloth dealer and dressmaker was there, from Second Hand-Harold to Madam Malkin. Students milled between the stands looking, pointing, and spending their hard-earned Knuts.

"Oh, can you believe it?! Harry asked me out! ME! Thee-hee," Ginny jumped in the air while brandishing the note she had received yesterday morning. "Although…," she continued wrinkling her brow, "being the saviour of mankind, he should have plucked up the nerve to ask me himself."

Hermione shook her head. She would not get involved in the Harry-Ginny affair again.

They stood by an aged woman's stand, looking at second-hand jewelery. Ginny had already found her dress; Hermione hadn't been that lucky.

"And…," the freckled girl persisted, "he shouldn't have broken up with me in the first place if he was just going to come crawling back!" She turned to Hermione, "Honestly I really should turn him down and let the bastard suffer!"

"He'd deserve it...," Hermione began with a smile on her lips.

"Yeah," Ginny agreed darkly.

"But then you wouldn't be able to dance with him at the ball."

"Can't I show up without a date? We'll be forced together by the special pair dance in the end anyway, right?"

"That dance won't be at the end of the ball." Hermione had seen to that, if it was in the middle people might be less focused on her and Snape. "But yes, you would have to dance with Harry then."

Ginny smiled a wicked little smile then looked around her. Seamus stood not too far away.

"Hey, Seamus!" She yelled and walked over to him.

He smiled as they approached. Hermione noticed he hurriedly stuffed a piece of paper in his pocket.

"What?" he asked in a pleasant tone.

Hermione saw that Dean was off a little way, speaking to a very good-looking dark girl. The market wasn't open only to Hogwarts students, even if they were overly represented.

"Oooh" Ginny cooed while batting her lashes. "Would you take me to the ball Seamus?"

The question seemed to startle the boy.

"I dunno… I wasn't really thinkin' of going, " he squirmed.

"Come on now, Seamus. You have to go," Ginny pleaded, looking as cute as she could.

Seamus saw a way out. "In any case I can't take you, Gin. You've dated two of my best friends!" He glanced over at Dean. "And you're Ron's little sister on top of that. I'd get Hell."

Ginny pouted.

"Gin. Please. I can't. I'm rather avoiding that dance."

Ginny pouted and batted her lashes. Hermione thought she looked silly but apparently Seamus disagreed.

"Fine, I'll take you." He sighed. "No man with blood could deny your eyes."

Hermione rolled her eyes.

Ginny lit up and beamed with her entire face. "Thank you! Thank you Seamus!" she flung her arms around him.

He gently but firmly detached her. "Um.. We're not going on…like a date, right?" he asked, looking worriedly over at Dean. Dean hadn't noticed. "'Cause honestly I'd get hell."

"Oh no! We're just going as friends," she answered smiling from ear to ear.

Seamus gave her and Hermione an unsure smile. "Thinking about it, I'll still get hell."

"HA," Ginny jumped and smirked at him. "You already said yes! No way out now."

"Yeah well, I'll be going then." The Irish boy walked off to Dean looking nervously back at Ginny. Hermione just shook her head at the triumphant smile on Ginny's face. They walked between the stalls, and when Ginny calmed down she turned to Hermione. "Now we just have to find someone for you to go with. I'm sure…."

Hermione looked away.

"Ehm…I already have a partner." She muttered without stopping, she still needed a dress.

Ginny looked disbelievingly at her older friend. "What? You never said…. Who?"

Hermione cleared her throat and deliberately didn't meet Ginny's eyes. "Malfoy."

Ginny pulled a face. "Eww… Malfoy? What possessed you to do that?"

Hermione was almost relieved Ari was going with Snape. _Almost._ What if she would have had to explain Snape to Ginny? On the other hand, Hermione would gladly curse the little blonde skank off the face of the earth before having to see her on Snape's arm. She wouldn't tell Ginny that though.

"We thought that be a good idea us being the Heads and all."

Ginny shrugged. "Yeah, I suppose that makes sense. Still… eww, Malfoy."

"He's not that bad looking." Hermione saw a beautiful aquamarine fabric.

Ginny looked Hermione squarely in the eye. "Uck, Hermione. Just uck."

"No, really? I think it's beautiful."

"I meant Malfoy."

Hermione shrugged, maybe it was only she who saw the hotness in Slytherins.

"Oh! Oh! OH!" Ginny garbed a hold of Hermione's sleeve and pointed. "Look It's Harry!"

Hermione rolled her eyes.

The boys saw them and Ron pulled Harry over to meet them.

Ginny stuck her nose in the air and flung her hair- a little over the top in Hermione's opinion.

"Hi ye girls," Ron beamed.

"Hi guys," Hermione greeted while she bought the fabric.

Harry smiled, "Nice colour, Hermione."

"Thanks."

Ron looked discreetly from Harry to Ginny and back again. "So… Hermione I just wondered if you could help me with something…."

Hermione smiled and they went a little way away and pretended to look at ties.

Harry looked at Ginny who hadn't yet met his eyes.

"Well...um…. Hi Ginny."

"Hello Harry," she answered very coldly. He was taken aback.

"Is something the matter?" he asked her. She still looked away from him.

"No Harry, nothing's wrong." Something was definitely wrong.

"Has someone done something?"

Ginny looked at her nails. "You mean apart from you breaking up with me and then sending me an invitation to some dance?"

"We've been over this, Gin,'" Harry almost whined. "I don't want you to suffer the media circus that's always around me," he tried again.

"But as soon as there is an event you can just call on faithful old Gin and she'll come running, is that it?!" she asked, getting agitated.

"No, I never…"

"No you never! You can save the bloody world, can't you Potter?! But a relationship is a bit to scary for you isn't it, Scarhead?!" she screamed, making a scene.

"Ginny please I only wanted to save you from...," he looked nervously around.

"Yeah well you can save your invitation up your arse, Potter." She flung the note at him and turned to walk away. In a deathly sweet tone she added over her shoulder, "I'm going with Seamus…."

It really would have been an amazingly dramatic exit with Potter standing broken in front of everyone, if a couple of Slytherins hadn't felt like spoiling it.

Daphne Greengrass casually stepped on the Weaslyette's slightly too-long robe. Ginny tripped face down on to the ground. It was a loud smack. She was lucky she didn't get a bloody nose.

Pansy, Daphne and two other Slytherin girls snickered. They were packed to breaking point with loaded shopping bags.

"Oops," Daphne said with her hand at her mouth. "Sorry Weasley, didn't notice your second-hand robe there. Maybe you could ask your boyfriends for new ones? You've done half the Gryffindor tower by now, surely someone will pay up." The girl sneered.

"Leave her alone!" Harry bellowed.

Daphne batted her eyes innocently, but Parkinson snickered. "Now now, Potter, she's none of your concern anymore. You just got ditched."

Harry glared at the green clad girls, but turned away; Ginny followed his example and swept off without a word.

Ron and Hermione were left to their own. They shared a look. A look they've shared far too many times.

"You'll…" Ron said, but Hermione finished for him "…take Gin, and you'll go after Harry. I know the drill."

They had only taken a few steps Hermione turned again "Oh and Ron…"

He stopped and looked at her.

"He kind of deserves it, playing with your sister like that."

"He doesn't mean to…"

"I know but you tell him he has to make up his mind… he's headed for a shotgun marriage."

Ron smiled and gave her the thumbs up.

He really was a wonderful guy. Why couldn't their school love have bloomed in to serious romance? Now Hermione was stuck in some love tragedy with Snape and a mysterious long-legged bitch.

She watched Ron disappear into the masses, and with a smile she turned to walk again.

There was a wall in her way. A black-clad wall. She looked up in to the face of the man who had caused all her head/heart aches.

"Professor," she said_ "Slimy heart snatching goa,t" _she thought and tried to step around him.

"Miss Granger, a word." His voice was as cold as his glare.

"Of course, sir." She followed him to the side. _"May I wrench off your head and stab you repeatedly sir?" _she thought with an obliging smile draped across her features.

Snape rounded on her.

"What possessed you to speak to Miss Winter about this hateful ball?!"

"_I never knew she was going with you and making me stand watching as you and your Barbie dance to the beat of my breaking heart."_

"What do you mean, sir?"

He narrowed his eyes. "Even a brainless little girl like you must have figured out the disastrous result that would ensue after we've danced together this Friday." Snape took a menacing step closer to her, but she did not fear his wrath as she might have before. What harm could he bring her that he had not already unintentionally brought her? "Because thanks to you, Miss Granger, we will dance this Friday." The dark looming Professor persisted. The wind sent a whiff of him to her. He was intoxicating even now when he tried to intimidate her.

Hermione said nothing, only looked up at him.

The look she gave him seamed to unsettle the tall man but the confusion didn't put him off the slightest.

"I would have been able to ignore my invitation to the ball if it had not been for you. Now Miss Winter insists on attending with me. Had you not informed her, we would have been able to live through this Friday without the oncoming disgrace!"

Hermione's mood darkened from misty night to pitch black.

"It is not my fault that you're dating some blonde girl, young enough to be your own daughter! Don't come here and blame me for your own mishaps!"

Snape snapped.

"Miss Winter is my what?!! And it was MY mishap?! She would never have known about the dance hadn't it been for you! It is your mishap that will bring our ruin!!!"

"I did no such thing! She already knew about the ball!"

They stared fixated on one and other.

Hermione felt an unrecognisable urge run through her as she looked into the black and fevered eyes of Severus Snape.

"You must h…," he began.

"Scheveruss"

The disagreeing two turned to see McGonagall stumble towards them. Hermione saw that in her right hand the headmistress was holding a brown bag with mysteriously bottle-like contents.

"Scheveruss, Look at my handiwork," she said triumphantly, her hand gesturing broadly over the marketplace. "I made thisch. Seen the old bugger having this musch fun? I don't think so."

McGonagall flung her left arm across the Potion Master's shoulders.

Snape straighten up and tried to look dignified with a drunken elderly woman draped over his shoulder.

"You have done a remarkable job, Minerva." He looked at Hermione if to dare her to laugh. She didn't dare, yet.

"I been looking for you Schnapy my boy…," she lifted her right arm with the bagged bottle to the sky. "Staff meeting at the Green Dragon. Now!"

Snape gave Hermione a look that either meant we'll talk about this later, or I'll get you for this. Then he turned and headed of with the happy Minerva hanging on to his shoulder.

"Hogs Head Minerva, not Green Dragon."

Hermione looked at the teachers she was supposed to hold in high esteem, then smiled and went to look for Ginny.

When she found her, Hermione didn't really need to comfort Ginny, only talk her out of an attack on the Slytherins.

They walked between the stands for another hour before heading up to the tower, satisfied with their shopping.

The rest of that afternoon was spent calming Dean, Ron and Harry down long enough to explain the Seamus-Ginny situation.


	12. Chapter 11

An: Hey I updated. Surprise! Jk's characters, my story.

**Chapter 11**

_The __Soul's Heart_

"McGonagall said that she is to decide when _the_ dance is to be." He told her through the door.

"WHAT?!" Hermione shrieked as she dried her hair with the towel.

"I said…"

"I heard you, Malfoy. I just...you know.."

"Yeah, right, well she told me yesterday that she was to announce the dance." Draco sat on the stairs leading to the Head-girl's room with his back resting on Granger's door. She was getting ready for the ball and he wasn't allowed in, naturally. But since they needed to go over the details anyway, and girls took twice the time to get ready, he had parked himself by her door.

Hermione seated herself by her mirror and made a loud noise of disgruntlement.

"Tell me about it," Malfoy's voice said through her door.

"You said your partner wouldn't show up," she told the door.

"True. Must suck to be the rest of you then." Hermione could hear his gleeful smile. "Is your guy showing?"

"Sadly," she replied. What was she to do with her hair? She knew from experience that if she wanted a good hairdo, she shouldn't shower the same day. She sighed and looked at the hated tangles. It wouldn't turn into someone else's hair by just staring at it. She charmed her blow-dryer silent so she could keep speaking with Malfoy.

"Doesn't the poor guy have any redeeming features?"

"No!" Maybe some, but very few and definitely not while she was angry with him.

He was Severus Snape and that was a flaw all by itself.

"Harsh."

She sighed again. She hated Snape, but she hated Miss Winter more for being able to dance with him. Hermione hated her for being someone Snape wouldn't be ashamed of. And vice-versa.

She should have fallen for a man who her friends wouldn't detest the mere notion of.

"One more sigh from you and I'll go camp out by my door."

"You do that, I think we have covered the basics. Our duties, the décor, our arrival, the guests, the food, and McGonagall's sudden need to hold us all in suspense as to when our public humiliation is to occur."

Malfoy stood up, not that Hermione could see that. "Splendid. Then I'll see you half past, yes?"

"Yep."

She heard him go downstairs and start his own preparations.

She stood up and walked over to her red bed, the aquamarine dress laid out over it. It had been fortuitous that she had Madam Malkin do it for her and that she hadn't tried fixing it by herself. It was beautiful. She had found a similar colour in transparent and had Madam Malkin make the dress in two fabrics instead of one, making it look more sophisticated. If she was to make an older man like her, it would be a good thing not to point out her own youth.

She descended the stairs in her fantastic dress. Hair up with tasteful makeup and fitting jewels, she was a princess. And possibly looking five years older.

Mature, yes she looked mature.

The Winter Skank didn't stand a chance!

"Hey, you don't look bad," Malfoy greeted her from where he'd been waiting on their couch.

"Same back at ya," she said with a twirl.

Malfoy stood up, wearing his black dress robes with silver embroidery. He smirked at her and offered his arm. "Shall we?"

She took his arm and they walked down to the great hall.

They were the first to arrive just as they had anticipated. They were half an hour early so that they could barrage the prefects with last minute changes.

The décor wasn't tacky and it could be seen as romantic without being too obviously so. As a mutual agreement between them, pink had been banned.

It didn't take long for the prefects to show, with or without dates.

Hermione saved no breath putting them to work.

At seven precisely, the doors officially opened and people started to pour in.

"We did well," Malfoy smiled at her.

She nodded.

They had a large dancing area in front of the raised platform for the band, and behind that they had put different-sized round tables. Some tables held as many ten seats, and then some had just two chairs. Yes, they had done well.

"So since you are my reluctant date," Malfoy said with a wink, "how about I get us a drink?"

"Sure. But I believe I forced you to come with me."

He laughed but went to fetch the drinks.

Hermione stood looking at the masses of people. It was interesting to see who came with whom.

In the crowd she could see Ron and Harry walking in with Neville who had Luna on his arm. Hermione saw Dean following them with a beautiful girl she didn't recognise and behind them came Seamus and Ginny.

She smiled. Seamus was looking nervously around as if he waited for some kind of assault.

There where Parkinson, tugging at Goyle's arm, and Zabini with some foreign woman.

People were also coming through from the main doors. The unknowing public who thought they had only been invited for a ball, and not for matchmaking. She could see the red hair of that Tara girl Ron had invited, giggling with a friend. Ron would be glad to know She was there.

It was then that Hermione found herself alone as Snape ascended the room with Miss Winter on his arm.

She had known the sight would sting, but she had not anticipated it to grab her heart and tear it savagely into shreds.

Severus steered the younger girl to a table at the far back. She followed him obediently whilst clinging to him like some weird appendage.

He looked down at his young friend. She was trying to hide it, but she was nervous.

"Second thoughts, Artemis?" he asked her. She almost used him as a shield as they walked.

Artemis sat down and tried to discreetly scope the room.

"Never," she lied, rather convincingly actually.

"Good, because you dragged me here, remember?"

He sat down beside her. They had arrived with most of the public so no one had made a big deal out of him with a date. If one could call Artemis a date.

She was jumpy but it was understandable.

"What made you want to go to this ball anyway, Ari?" Severus asked politely. Miss Granger was dancing, with the Weasley boy apparently.

Ari narrowed her eyes.

"When that Granker girl…," she coughed and tried again, "I couldn't let her think she could just barge in and steal my…," Ari flushed and looked away "Not, you know that…well you know, I don't own…um…I didn't mean it like that."

Severus looked down at her with an eyebrow raised. She blushed redder.

Why did she even try to hide it? They both knew how she felt. If she could only let go of her pride and admit to her feelings… it would save her a lot of pain.

He sighed. She was a relentlessly stupid girl.

Well, he couldn't help her. Her mess, not his.

Severus stood up and presented his hand to Artemis. But maybe he could take her mind of it for a bit.

"You dragged me here, so shall we dance?"

"Won't your students talk?"

He took her hand and started for the dance floor. "Probably, but they'll have more interesting things to speak about before this night is over."

"That sounds ominous..."

Severus didn't have to come up with a smart reply to his date's comment as Minerva materialised in front of them.

"Severus." She had a huge fake smile plastered across her face "You came and with… who is your lovely young…," she had a definite emphasis on _young_, "friend here?"

Severus pushed Artemis in front of him, and she curtsied. Severus rolled his eyes.

"This is Artemis Winter, Artemis this is Min…"

"WINTER! Oh, why yes, of course!" the relief in the headmistress voice was positively painful. "Winter. Yes, charmed, I'm sure." Minerva shook the girls hand vigorously… had she already nipped into the sherry?

"How delightful…?" Ari said, looking questioningly at Severus.

Severus nodded to Minerva and tugged the younger woman out of the older woman's clutches.

They managed to push their way to a clear spot on the crowded dance floor.

Minerva had seen to it that the band would mostly play slow songs. Luckily, Severus could waltz.

Hermione strained her facial muscles to not let the smile melt into a grimace when she saw the pair take up the waltz.

Harry steered her around the floor in defiance to Ginny's insistent dance with Seamus.

Harry had replaced Ron at some point, Hermione didn't really mind, as it was fun to dance.

Well that had been until Barbie decided she wanted to waltz with Snape. Now Harry's unblinking stares at Ginny and Seamus was getting annoying as well.

Harry stopped. Hermione was just about to snap at his lack of attentiveness when Draco took his place.

"Hope you don't mind, Hero," he smirked at Harry. Harry glared but left them to it.

"Where have you been? And where is my drink?" Hermione asked with a pout.

"Well, things changed," he said and looked pointedly over her shoulder at someone. "I had been assured my reflection would stay away. Well they said.. .never mind. I forgot your drink anyways, and I'm sorry."

Hermione shook her head, but smiled

"So mine showed, did yours?" he asked with a hollow and clearly worried smile. He had really not been expecting his mirror date.

Hermione equalled his smile, "Yes. And with a girl."

"Ouch!"

"Tell me about it."

They twirled around the floor both avoiding looking at or hitting the pairs dancing nearby.

"Attention, attention!"

Hermione and Malfoy slowed to a halt and looked up at the podium. McGonagall had shushed the orchestra and taken a microphone hostage.

"Welcome to a little special dance here in mid-autumn. Would everyone please clear the dance floor. Everyone! Yes Jefferson, even you. Thank you. Yes as I was saying…"

Hermione went to sit by her Gryffindor friends who had occupied a table near the stage.

She saw that their Slytherin equals had done something similar a little ways away, and Malfoy went there.

"Due to an old family heirloom, rediscovered at the beginning of this semester, I have decided we should all have a nice ball. Now, here we are!" Applause erupted; McGonagall waved them down with a smile. "Yes, yes. Because of the specific nature of my heirloom, this little get together is going to have a special dance."

Half the room applauded, a quarter didn't get it and the remainder dreaded the next words.

"This special dance is going to pair us up with the person we would see if we looked in to my mirror, the object we're celebrating. In my mirror we would see our soul's heart's match."

The room went dead silent.

"Just as complex as that, yes. Well it sounds more complicated than it is. I will lay a spell on the room. And if your match is in it… NO! Miss Greengrass, I see you, everyone will stay in here! Excuse me, yes… If your match is in here, you will feel a pull towards him or her. So with no further ado… Let the Soul's Love Dance commence!"

She waved her wand and Hermione saw the headmistress's mouth move. An eruption like a soundless bomb of pink exploded out of McGonagall's wand and struck the room's hushed occupants.


	13. Chapter 12

And we continue the dance. Mrs Rowling's characters not mine. Perhaps maybe Winter but well… She can borrow her if she likes. Onwards!

**The ****Soul's Heart**

_Chapter 12_

Hermione closed her eyes as the pink shockwave passed trough her.

She opened her eyes to see the last remnants of pink strike the walls and disappear. As it evaporated, it left a weird pulling sensation in her stomach.

Tremulously, sound rose in the Great Hall. The musicians woke up and found their instruments.

Ginny looked past Seamus at Harry. Harry smiled at her and stretched out his hand.

Ginny returned a smile that might have told a thousand words. They stood up and took to the dance floor.

Slowly by slowly more couples trickled on to the floor.

Dean and his date were already twirling happily in each others' arms. Neville was laughing at something Luna had said.

Even the Slytherin's were having a good time. Goyle held Parkinson tightly as her big purple dress flowed with their motions.

Hermione felt the pulling sensation grow rapidly, but she decided _he_ would have to come to _her_.

He would have to bow to her for once. He would have to leave his pretty date and ask Hermione to dance. Yes without a doubt. Hermione looked around for her dark dance partner.

Snape was nowhere to be seen. She was beginning to feel slightly nauseated.

Ron stood up and made his way to a table at the far back. Tara seemed relived when he asked her to dance. The poor girl had only felt the sickening feeling and not known whom to go to. Now she smiled happily holding the hero Ron Weasley by the hand, he led her up the room.

Hermione looked at the only other occupant from her table. Seamus. The boy took a deep breath and stood up. He straightened his robe and walked steadily across the room.

Hermione craned her neck to see were he was heading. Her stomach flipped and her eyes bulged, Seamus strides were leading him directly towards the Slytherin table.

As the Irish boy approached Malfoy stood up and too straightened his robes.

Hermione's eyes nearly popped out. Malfoy and… Malfoy and Seamus?!!

She was getting really nauseous now, not because of the boys looking at one another, Malfoy smirking and Seamus glaring. No Snape was defiantly taking his time.

Malfoy was the first to speak, "Thought you said you wouldn't come."

"Things happened."

Seamus took a stepped closer and averted his eyes from the smirking Malfoy.

"So shall we dance?" he asked.

"It's either that or throwing up, it was a tough choice," Daphne Greengrass said and took his reluctant hand.

"I saw you tell Draco you wouldn't come," she told him sourly as he took her unenthusiastically in his arms.

"I know. I saw you staring at my humiliation," Seamus replied curtly.

They took a few steps before Seamus opened his mouth again. "Why did you trip my date?" he asked her.

Daphne glared past his shoulder. "It had nothing to do with you. Now shut up so we can get through this." And they danced.

Hermione looked away from the couple and tried to find Snape. She was felling really ill now.

Blow her pride! She didn't want to throw up. That might be worse than asking Snape to dance.

Might.

She stood up to look for him.

As she walked around she felt the feeling in her stomach pulling at her.

Interesting…When she went where it pulled the sensation subsided slightly.

She headed towards the feeling and saw the silver colour of Winter's dress. She was getting closer. She stepped up her pace heading for the girl.

Yet when she reached the woman Snape was not there.

"Excuse me Miss Winter…" Hermione began.

"Not now Grover." The rude girl didn't even glace in her direction. She was looking fixedly over Hermione's shoulder.

Hermione turned.

Someone stood behind her.

Malfoy. He was standing with his hand outstretched and looking intently at Winter.

Hermione looked between them.

Winter took his hand.

Draco pulled the blond towards him. Not a word passed between the two.

Winter detached herself from his closeness, but didn't let go of his hand. Nether of them had shown a single emotion. Purebloods…

Hermione didn't have time to ponder Malfoy's none-gayness for long.

An arm grabbed her from behind and pulled her away.

Before Hermione could blink, or for that mater scream in indignation, she found herself on the terrace outside the Great Hall.

Snape was looking down at her.

She looked down herself. He was holding her waist and one of her hands.

The bad feeling was gone. A new and much more interesting feeling had replaced it. Hermione looked up once more.

"The terrace. Smart, sir."

"I am head of the house of wit, am I not?" he smirked back.

And they started to slowly dancing to the muffled music from the hall.

Snape look striking in the soft light from the windows. The shadows flickering around his features whilst they turned to the music, made him look dark and mysterious.

Hermione felt her brain go numb as his eyes sparkled in the scarcely lit night.

The silence between them seemed to carry with it that unidentified tension.

To break the enchanted hush Hermione said the first thing that came to mind. "Your date, she is dancing with Draco Malfoy."

Snape looked in trough the windows at the dancing crowed.

"I figured as much."

"Don't you mind?" she asked him softly. Her words had not shaken the enchanted air around them the slightest.

Snape looked down at her with one eyebrow raised.

"No."

They danced on in silence

She put her head on his shoulder, and he didn't object.

Snape looked in once in a while to see if the blasted dance would end.

Hermione didn't mind. It was nice being this close to him without getting shouted at.

She hadn't even realised when they'd stopped.

She opened her eyes and lifted her head slightly to look up at him.

His dark unreadable eyes looked back down at her.

The moon shone over the trees of the Forbidden Forest, the stars passed in and out from under clouds. Hermione felt the warmth of his body so close to hers, his hand a burning beacon on her waist. His sent filling the air around her. Those black abysses looking into her soul.

Hermione closed her eyes and lifted her body to tip toe.

Snape's thin lips parted, as if he was to say something.

He didn't, because Hermione kissed him, softly and sweetly on the terrace.

Severus eyes flew open.

He pushed the demented girl of him and wiped his lips in disgust.

"Miss Granger what in the world…!"

She didn't say anything.

"Great Merlin, what got in to you Granger?!"

Granger turned her brown eyes towards him. Severus saw that they were shining ominously.

He made a strangled sound. "This is nothing to cry about Granger...!"

That set the flair off. Her eyes burned with righteous anger. "No Sir, you are absolutely right! And I have no intention of crying over you! I was foolish to think that I stood a chance next to Winter. You can take her, a girl half your age, but kissing me is out of the question! You are right, sir! Doing whatever you're doing with Winter in you're dungeon is okay but out here, with me, it would be wrong! Maybe I should make an appointment in the dungeon!"

Severus closed the distance between them and shot daggers in to the little girls glistening eyes.

"I am no paedophile Granger…," he hissed menacingly.

"I'm of age!"

"That doesn't make me more attracted to you!" He was keeping the threat in his voice.

"But you're attracted to skinny-bitts in there?!" Granger shouted "What is she, four years older than me?"

"Two."

"Oh yeah! That makes her _so_ much more eligible!"

"Granger, you are being disgusting! She is the daughter of my mentor, Thomas Winter. I have known Miss Winter since she was born!"

The anger portrayed all over her face seemed to cool slightly. Severus sighed inwardly; he was not going to let the stupid girl get some foolish hopes up.

"And for You miss Granger, I have had you in my class since you were eleven! You are just an irritating busy-haired pest to me. Good day."

He swept off in to the great hall filled with its lovey-dovey pairs.

Hermione stood alone on the terrace looking after him. In a small voice she said, "I might keep irritating you, but you keep breaking my heart."

She bit her cheek so not to cry. Then she dragged herself into the hall.

Ginny and Harry were still dancing. Neville and Luna stood with Dean and his date laughing and holding drinks. Ron and Miss Glennen sat by a table talking. McGonagall was giggling hysterically at something some grey haired, moustached wizard as whispering to her.

Even Hagrid had his Maxime by the arm.

She sneaked past the happiness and headed out towards her head-girl room.

She opened the doors she was met by Miss Winter.

"Move it sidekick!" the girl spat at her and shoved Hermione out of the way.

Hermione glared after the woman then turned to head home.

Malfoy stood in the middle of the corridor looking out the doors through which Miss Winter had rushed. He turned to look at Hermione.

"Your mascara is running," he greeted her. He looked completely detached.

"You have a big red hand over your left cheek," she nodded back wiping at her tears.

They fell in beside one another as they headed for their room.

"I thought you were gay," Hermione told him

"That's insulting. I'm every woman's dream."

"Yeah well, you kept referring to your mirror date as an _it_. Refusing to give her a distinctive pronoun. I just assumed you were shy about it being a guy."

"I was trying to stop thinking about her. She left me when I told her I was becoming a Death eater back in the summer between fifth and six year."

"Really? One would have thought she was in to that. She, being a snotty pureblood like yourself. "

"One would assume that…but she had parental issues. How did your evening workout?"

"I kissed my date, who then crushed my heart with a steel mallet and took off. Oh and before he let me down gently by demolishing my affections, he insulted me and slighted me to tears. All in all not a bad night."

Malfoy turned to look at her. "You turned cynic in one night.. I like your guy already"

She punched his arm, slightly harder than the norm fun and games allowed.

He was still rubbing it when they entered their common room.

"Hey since you know my lady and thought I was gay, I think you owe me to tell who your mystery man is."

Hermione walked up her stairs.

"Good night Malfoy."

Then she closed the door behind her. She was going to sleep till the end of time.

-------------------------

Please review…


	14. Chapter 13

AN: I updated.

JK Rowling's world, my story

**The soul's heart**

_Chapter 13 _

"Yes, Ginny, it is very nice to see you with Harry again." Hermione sighed for the hundredth time. Honestly, why did she have to be the brains of the group? They didn't exactly challenge her intellect with interesting conversations…like a certain someone.

No! She wasn't thinking about him. He, with his dry lips and seductive smell... She groaned and let her head fall in to her History of Magic book.

Ginny looked up, "Something the matter, 'Mione?"

"No, gravity just got the better of me.." the bushy book cover answered back. The sarcasm flew by the redhead like a snitch on speed.

"Are you jealous that you didn't give your partner their invitation yesterday?" Ginny asked, patting her friend's head sympathetically. Hermione liked Ginny, she really did, but it would have been nice to be able to stab the patting hand, then scream something mean and run up to her room. Hermione sighed.

The two girls were sitting in the head's dormitory, studying together. Hermione had promptly refused to leave it until Monday class. And even then she thought of skipping Potions. She groaned again; she was too good a student to ever skip class.

"There, there, Hermione, we will find you a Mister-Right…there, there."

Hermione sat up and brushed her hair out of her face.

"It's okay Gin'," It wasn't okay; she had kissed her Professor, taken him to her heart, and there he was kicking and screaming to get out. He didn't want her, and he never would.

"Yeah, I'll get a boy of my own sooner or later." But she wanted a man.

The door opened and Malfoy walked in.

"Evening ladies." He said with a mock bow.

"Spontaneously combust, Malfoy" Ginny greeted cheerfully, and Malfoy glared at her.

"A pleasure to see Granger out of her room. I was starting to think her hair had trapped her in there," he continued, ignoring the triumphant smile on Ginny's face.

"Hey Malfoy" Ginny said suddenly, frowning. "Who was that girl you danced with yesterday?"

"Why, Ginerva, jealous?"

"I would rather dance with a jarvey than you. Mind you, the resemblance is uncanny."

"Shut up, Weasley, before your beloved Potter has to sweep in through the window and save the day."

Ginny narrowed her eyes, "Did you just threaten me?"

Malfoy leaned down towards her and smiled "Yes."

"Both of you shut it." Hermione commanded.

"Oh ho ho.. " the blond boy chuckled "Still sour because your boyfriend doesn't like you?"

"I said shut it Malfoy!" Hermione glanced at Ginny. Damn.

"What boyfriend?" the younger girl asked.

"The guy who danced with Granger of course," The head boy looked between the two girls. His eyes landed on Hermione's. He seemed perplexed.

"What guy? Hermione didn't dance with anyone last night," Ginny persisted. She looked bewilderedly between the head boy and girl.

Malfoy didn't take his eyes of Hermione. The smirk dancing over his lips was pure evil.

"No, my bad," Then he smirked even more, Hermione hadn't thought it possible, and he disappeared up to his room. Hermione had the sinking feeling that Malfoy would soon unravel the identity of her mystery man.

Ginny turned her head back to her friend. "You didn't dance with anyone, did you? You would tell me, right?"

Hermione's intestines turned. She couldn't really tell Ginny. The red-head would freak on her if Hermione said: Actually I did, I danced with Professor Snape. I'm in love with him and want to have all of his greasy little babies.

No, Ginny would probably not even believe her.

"Gin' I was barely in the room when the rest of you danced."

"Okay, well did you see the hot thing Professor Snape brought to the dance?"

Hermione felt the pressure increase on her pen.

"Yeah…"

"Yeah, I thought I would pop my eyes. And then Malfoy danced The Dance with her. She was really pretty."

"Yeah, pretty…" And a complete and utter bitch. Hermione had to concentrate hard on not letting her face twist up in anger or let her hand snap her pen.

"I wonder what her name is…" Ginny sighed. She was always interested when a pretty girl was talked about, unless that girl had made advances on Harry, that is.

"Artemis Winter. I think she's some sort of pureblood." Oh, the pain of not spitting out her name…

"Clearly, otherwise she wouldn't have come with Snape and left with Malfoy. She's pretty but with bad taste, ey?" Ginny giggled.

"Yeah, bad taste..." But she hadn't left with Malfoy… the tramp might just as well have retreated to the dungeons after the dance, to be with Snape.

Hermione's pen snapped.

---------

He was sitting by his cluttered desk, correcting some of his old notes. His room was almost as messy as before. That's what normally happens when one likes to research and dabble with new potion recipes as a hobby. The house elves were rather good on dusting and cleaning around the notes and books, but the clutter remained. God forbid the little creatures moved his books.

Snape blew on the freshly applied ink.

Yesterday he'd been dancing. Her brown hair had been up in some lavish hairstyle, yet some stubborn strands had freed themselves and gently played in the breeze. Her chocolate brown eyes had looked him in a way… in a way he could not describe. He had not seen such eyes before her.

The ink was dry.

Yes, he had danced yesterday. He had danced with some snotty foolish girl. Nothing more, nothing less.

The fireplace bloomed green and someone stepped through.

"You bastard!"

"Ah, Ari. I had not been expecting you today." Severus looked up at the blonde woman by his fireplace.

"You could have told me!"

"Could I?"

"Yes! Why did you drag me to that stupid ball when you knew there was going to be some sort of magical terror-dance?!" the girl stormed over to his desk.

"I tried to talk you out of it, but you wouldn't let me get a word in edgewise." He remained calm, the amused contrasting to her indignant rage. "And don't forget, girl, you forced me to go."

"Why didn't you tell me about the crazy woman's evil dance planes?"

"You played the 'I saved your life card'. I couldn't exactly refuse you then, could I?"

"Why not?! You always have before! You've always been able to talk back and refuse anything!"

"I stand by my point: You played the saving card."

Ari glared at him. She walked about in his room flailing, not knowing what to say but still too angry to leave. Then she stopped as if something had hit her, her blonde head turned to look at him suspiciously.

"You," she pointed an accusing finger at him, "You wanted to go."

"I assure you I didn't."

Ari sat herself on the edge of his desk and peered at him. He didn't approve of her on his desk. It was for research and school materials only, and she was no paper weight.

"It can't solely have been just to force me to see Malfoy."

"I can't see why you visit me and not him. I was a Death Eater far longer than you have lived, missy."

"You turned out to be a traitor," she pointed out and crossed her arms defiantly.

"He never killed any innocent people, or anyone at all for that matter."

"He joined for the glory."

"So did I."

"Yeah, well he…We are getting of the subject. Who did you want to see at the Ball?"

Severus met her cold blue eyes.

"You are as stubborn as your mother," he smirked.

"And may that evil bitch rot in hell. Who was your dance partner? I know it wasn't that former schoolmate of yours; she's as dead as my mom. Wasn't that woman a parent to one of your students?"

Severus grimaced at the blonde. She had far too much insight in his personal affairs.

"Is it your classmate's child?"

He gave her his most terrifying glare.

"You are getting nosy, Ari."

The girl jumped of his desk with a triumphant "Ha!". She had had a horrid childhood with a magically insane Father and a drunkard Mother, who blamed the child for the father's madness, and both parents had been Death Eaters. A glare from Severus probably didn't even register in the girl's mind.

"I knew it! I knew it! Old Snape has a new lady in his life. Is it your old lady's child? That would be disgustingly twisted."

"No. Lily only had a son." He was going to strangle Thomas' child if she kept taunting him like this. "But I would leave this alone if I were you." The threat was evident both in the man's face as in his voice.

"Whatever you say, Severus" she smiled from ear to ear as she flung the floo powder into his fire. He regretted the day he had made it possible for her to travel from her home to his. Meddling little girl.

"I'll give your regards to my dad when I see him. See you next week."

He nodded at her as she disappeared.


	15. Chapter 14

An: hi been a while since I updated. I have no excuse. I'm sorry and I hope I got some readers still waiting for me. Sorry, dang when I opened this document I swear it had spiders-web all over it. Hope you like it anyway, promise I'll update sooner next time, I'm filled with new ideas so yeah. Disclaim ownership.

**The Soul's hearts**

_Chapter 14_

She was sitting with her head bent down, her hair draped so to shield her features.

He had been surprised that she'd even shown up. But he guessed the Gryffindor courage meddled with her mind.

Severus tried to ignore her, but for some reason his eyes wandered back to Hermione Granger. He reluctantly observed as her head turned up to respond to something the Weasley boy said, her pink lips came in to view. Soft and moist, Seduc…

Severus coughed loudly. He wasn't thinking straight.

He saw out of the corner of his eyes how her deer eyes shot to him and then dropped down. The curtain of locks fell over her face again.

He sighed and stood up to wander in between his students.

How could such an innocent and pure little thing think twice about him? How wrong. She should jump idiotically around with one of her own silly kind. She and the Weasley boy for example. Of course they had already tried.. Maybe Potter would be more her type. But he was once again snogging the little Weasley girl. Severus glanced down at the object of his thoughts. Her hair wasn't too bad looking, if one just got past the cheer volume of it. the curls fell rather nicely. He turned away His other student's held little in the way of distraction, soon his thoughts and eyes returned again to the little brunet. She was slicing her root in to too wide pieces. He slowly stalked over to her. She didn't seem to notice him as he bent down to whisper in her ear

"Watch out Miss Granger, if you don't think of what you're doing you might end up ruining everything…"

Hermione jumped as she heard her professor's silky voice in her ear. She turned to look at him, he had straightened up and was smirking down at her. His black eyes sparkled playfully. He was playing with her. And what had he meant by his whispered warning? Did he mean that she should have thought before kissing him? Her eyes stung. The evil bustard!

She observed as his eyes grew colder and narrowed. Snape turned his gaze else where. Hermione looked after him as his steps removed him once again away from her. Always away from her. He was so… soo… Someone nudged her and pulled the head girl out of her train of thought.

"I think you've sliced your root to thickly Herm" Harry pointed out. She looked down, and then to the text book.

"Oh thanks Harry, I might have spoiled the whole potion hadn't you noticed." As the words escaped her she looked up, the professor sat behind his desk again. His eyes scoped the room lazily and landed on hers. She looked down. He hadn't just commented on her root. He had mocked her with the root as en excuse. Hermione let her hair fall as a curtain between her and her professor. The tears, the same, the mocking. He truly was evil.

After he had dismissed them Hermione basically ran up to her rooms. Harry and Ron barely got a good bye before she was gone. She threw herself down on the sofa and stared up in to the sealing. Gods, if she could just hate him. No she did hate him. Her heart stung and her eyes stung. How to make him see her as something more than a student? Someone else but the annoying know-it-all next to Harry Potter..?

She looked up as the door opened again. Oh goodie Malfoy. She slumped back down.

"Greetings Granger, you rushed of from potions quickly." He unnecessarily observed. She grunted something incoherent. Malfoy just smiled.

"Well It's been a long day. Thought I was going to hex Flitwick for all the homework he gave us." the blond scotched her legs over and seated himself next to her. She thought of kicking him, he wasn't welcome on her ravelling in self-pity couch. She didn't though.

"Sooo Granger, silent today huh…" She thought about kicking his smiling face again. Would he be able to look up her skirt if she did? Would it matter since she got in a good kick?

"You didn't tell Red-head about your boyfriend, nice to know I'm not the only one in the dark."

"Change subject Malfoy or I'm going to kick you." He sniggered and changed position so he sat on the armrest, there she wouldn't reach him with her legs.

"Let's see who it can be shall we?" he wiggled hi eyebrows conspiratorially towards her, she sighed exasperated and turned to look in to the sofas back.

"Well if your previous boyfriends are anything to go by, you like 'em tall…"

"Didn't know you kept a record of my relationships Malfoy."

"Don't flatter yourself Granger, you've only dated celebrities, Victor Krum and the world saving sidekick."

"Stop calling Ron a sidekick." Malfoy completely ignored her

"So tall and preferably famous. Can't believe anyone would want to date Weasley but they do breed, so some people will I guess. Anyhow… I don't think I can narrow it down by looks since Krum is an awesome quidditch player and alleged girl magnet and Weasley looks like crap"

"I'm warning you Malfoy drop this" Hermione lifted herself on to her elbows to be able to glare at him.

"I would personally guessed you wanted someone brainy, must be tired of Wealeys idiot talk"

"Ron is not dumb." She rolled her eyes

"Oh I'm getting no where with this" Malfoy seemed a bit annoyed under his clear enjoyment of tormenting her.

"Good"

Malfoy sat silent for a while and Hermione hoped that he had hit a wall in his annoying inquires after her mirror partner. But alas no

"Let's see, you where at the dance, and you did dance with someone. You said so yourself and I saw you. Hmmm…" he stopped and thought then continued slowly "When the dance started you and I where the last at our respective tables after Finnigan and Daphne took to the floor…"

"Don't strain yourself" she muttered darkly at his slow voice and sat up, he couldn't get something out of that, she hadn't been seen with Snape at all that night.

"After that..? I saw you again! Yes I did. You where talking to Winter!"

Hermione froze. Oh no hadn't thought of her…

"Why were you talking to Winter?" he turned to look at her. "With that pull shouldn't you have been looking for…your.." His trailed off as he put two and two together.

He stared at her and she looked away.

"No!" he said shocked. She refused to confirm anything. "Tall, famous and Brainy to boot. All in one Granger, congrats.." he didn't sound happy, still only shocked.

She stood up.

"I'm going to go now." Her voice was monotone and void of all emotions of variations.

"This is unbelievable."

As she was heading up her stairs his voice call after her, new found shock in it.

"Hey! Doesn't that mean Snape sees you too?"

The anger the frustration, the unauthorised wish to lash out at something. She turned

"Yes Draco, yes. Professor Snape sees me. We see etch other me and Snape. And there is nothing I would rather want than to have that mean old sod swooping in here and kissing me right now."

Malfoy hadn't dropped the shocked look. He made some attempts to speak than he shook himself.

"But that nose? And that hair?"

"Yeah I don't care. But he does!" she wailed and surrender her legs to be able to sit down. "He can't see past the fact that I'm his student, but your girlfriend, who I might add he has known his entire life. Her, her there is nothing wrong with. Snogging that thin arch bitch is just the Slytherin dream apparently."

Malfoy blinked. "Ari?"

Hermione's eyes flared.

"YES! Yes that!" She stood up again and wobbled down the stairs stabbing her finger at Malfoy. "Your lovely prefect little bitch is here in the castle. Here almost always. Running in and out of Snape's private quarters like the love sick puppy I am."

Malfoy snorted involuntarily at that. "Yeah, you are sick for Snape all right." at Hermione's death glare he composed himself "But I highly doubt Ari is."

"Yeah? Well why is she there all the time? Why did Snape tell me not to inform anyone about her perchance? Why did she come with him to the ball? And where the hell do you think she went of to after she hit you over the face?"

Malfoy looked away from her and bit his lip. "I… I don't know. She shouldn't be there at all, he's a death eater and… and she swore them of years ago."

"Snape was a traitor."

"Yes, that's probably it." he sighed. Well then I know. Ari and Severus ey? I don't believe it. She likes them pretty.." he turned to Hermione with a ghost of his former smirk. "Unlike some"

"Go suck an egg."

"You can run up to your sanctum now, just don't forget we have patrol to night, you and me just like it used to be"

"Uncomfortable silences, snark remarks and death glares?" she raised an eyebrow.

"Oh Granger you know just how I want it, see you later" he winked.

-----------------------------

It was later.

They walked the corridors, not like in the old times glaring and insulting etch other but talking and teasing. Hermione had to confess Malfoy had grown on her. She counted him as tolerable now.

"Your children's hairs are going to be disastrous." Malfoy observed as they walked down yet another disserted hallway. Hermione laughed.

"If, and that's a big _if_. I was to breed with our dear professor…"

Malfoy interrupted her with a sound similar to a horn

"Wrong, _your_ dear professor."

"Yes well" Hermione smiled, it was nice to joke about the whole wrenched situation "I would hope that his slimy hair would outdo my curls and these make-believe children would have nice straight unslimed hair."

Draco banged on broom-cupboards as they walked by.

"Highly doubt that, more likely they'll get slimy hedges on top of their wee heads" he gave her a mock sincere look "slimy enough and you could sell them as some sort of exterminator, lure small animals to believe it's a good nesting place and then they would stick to the slime and die of starvation."

"I'll tell Snape all about it when our firstborn pops out" Hermione rolled her eyes but smiled.

Malfoy smirked back as he continued his aimless banging. The notice did annoy Hermione a little but she was in a far too good mood to tell him off.

"Aaaah!"

Hermione and Draco jumped. One of the cupboards hade screamed. Draco looked over to his companion.

"I think we just walked in on something." He winked. Hermione hadn't caught anyone hiding in the cupboards before. She had heard stories of what kind of stuff that people allegedly did in the closets. She hoped her flushed cheeks wasn't too noticeable.

Draco winked at her again and opened the cupboard.

"Caught you red handed…" Draco trailed of as Seamus Finnegan and Daphne Greengrass fell out.

Hermione's already pink cheeks blossomed a shade darker, Daphne had her shirt unbuttoned and Seamus was completely lacking his.

For a slit second they just stared at one and other than Draco started howling with laughter. He seemed to almost crap together by the cheer amusement he found in the situation. He almost fell around Hermione's neck to steady him self.

Greengrass sat up indignation and shame plagued her face.

Seamus shot a deadly look over at the bewildered and dumbfounded Hermione and howling Malfoy. Then he turned to Daphne.

"Daph…" he began and stretched out a hand towards the girl.

The Slytherin girl slapped his hand away and stood up. "Don't you dare Finnegan." She said in an ice-cold tone. "I never want to see you again. And for you!" now her voice heated up and she turned with hate-filled eyes to Draco. "You I counted as a friend!"

Draco still couldn't stand but he composed himself enough to speak. "I..I am your friend, but clearly you are friendlier with him, just wait till Pansy hears.." and then he was laughing again. Daphne's eyes filled up with tears and the girl turned around on her heals and ran of sobbing.

Draco stopped laughing.

"Oh shit…" he began and headed after her. "Daphne wait! I didn't mean...Daphne!"

Hermione had just enough time to look down at the distraught Seamus. He just sat there looking crushed then something yanked at her. Pain. Her blasted hair had gotten entwined in Darco's head boy badge. She involuntarily ran after him, the stupid Slytherin hadn't even noticed her.

"Draco!" Hermione tried but he just ran after his friend screaming her name. He was stronger than Hermione. She stumbled after him pulling at the caught strand. She didn't look down. She should have silly girl. Daphne was heading for her room, in the dudgeons. There were bound to be stairs. There were stairs.

Hermione feet lost their footing and her weight pulled her hair out of its incarceration.

She fell, the hard stairs rushed towards her.

The impact was indescribable painful. She saw white, somewhere beyond the pain she heard footsteps and someone screaming for a girl. It wasn't her name they yelled.

The next pain struck her again, and the next, and the next.

The world spun and the pain seemed to never stop. It hit her head, her sides, her arms, her back and her head, her head, over and over again.

And suddenly the world stopped spinning. The pain struck her chin.

It was gloomy, she tasted blood, and the ache was everywhere. She saw a nothing but stone. She couldn't move for the constant hurt. The cold stone floor leaked its chill in to her bones. The pain was everywhere, except in the darkness. She let it consume her.

There was darkness for a long time, then the echo of footsteps. She could barely discern them for the darkness was so overpowering.

"Miss Gr..? Miss Granger!" someone probably screamed. She couldn't tell, if she tried to focus on reality the pain would come back.

Someone turned her over on to her back.

"Miss Granger can you hear me?" The voice was soft now but she didn't want to hear anyone. She wanted to sleep.

"Her..Hermione?" the soft voice was alluring; concern was evident in the speakers tone.

A hand came to her, it felt her pulse. A breath of relief sounded.

The hand moved up to her face, it tenderly stroke something away from her features.

"Stay with me Hermione" the voice asked

The hand moved to lift her up, it was accompanied by its twin and she was lifted from the cold floor.

The pain of being moved made her gasp.

"Now stay with me Hermione, stay"

The voice and hands had a warm torso with them. It was fantastic to feel the warmth after being on the floor. The smell coming of the warmth was amazing.

"Can you hear me Hermione? Hermione?"

The smell was recognisable. If she just concentrated for a minute she would be able to place it. Was the pain worth it? It could be worth a shot.

She took a deep breath.

Her eyes flickered open and through the black spots she saw him

"Severus?"


	16. Chapter 15

An: update! Had to do the first part this way, just had to. My bad. But I enjoyed it :D hope you do too.

I disclaim Jk's characters and please be nice to me about my horrid spelling.

**The Soul's heart**

_Chapter 15_

Yet another stash of books. It was a good thing for Ari that she was the daughter of his old mentor or he would never have bothered with this. Thomas' child was defiantly starting to annoy him.

He liked walking through the school after classes had ended, he would rarely see any of them insolent students. Some he was bound to walk in to since this facility had to have the frustrating children to be allowed funding but he didn't have to like them.

His footsteps echoed around the stone walls.

He grunted as he saw a shape laying a little way ahead of him. It would seem he was bound to run in to some particular students more often than others.

"Miss Gr.." then he registered what he saw. Miss Granger was lying motionless, face down on the floor. Through the gloom he thought he saw something red pasted in her hair.

"Miss Granger!" he yelled. He forgot the books in his hands and rushed over to the still figure.

He kneeled beside her. Her body wasn't in any unnatural position at the very least. What had happened to her? The war was over, God damn! The war was over!! He gently put his hands around her and turned her around so that her body rested against his knees.

The red in her hair was defiantly blood. On the floor where her face had been, a puddle of the red blood had seeped out in an alarming amount. Her face was covered in the sticky liquid. The girl hadn't moved. Why her? Oh dear gods why her? He had seen many still figures in his far too dark life but why her?

"Miss Granger can you hear me?" she didn't respond in the slightest.

"Her...Hermione?" She didn't respond to her first name ether. Was she dead then?

He let his fingertips slide over her cold bare neck to search for a pulse. The relief was almost agonizing when he found a small tickling. He stroked away some of her hair that had been plastid to her features.

"Stay with me Hermione" he begged her then he gently slid his arms around her to lift the fragile little thing of the cold floor.

As he did so the woman gasped in pain. He almost smiled even though he had caused her agony, she wasn't completely gone at least.

"Now stay with me Hermione, stay" he commanded her as he stood up and carried her towards the hospital wing.

He needed to keep her alive, speak to her was the trick, keep her somewhat conscious.

"Can you hear me Hermione? Hermione?"

It felt like there was an eternity between him and the hospital. Who had done this to her? Severus could feel something close to hate bubbling up under all the concern. Was she slipping away in his arms? Who could have done this to her? And if he ever found out he would…

Severus never finished his thought

"Severus?" the voice was weak and oh so alarmingly brittle. He looked down at the delicate woman in his arms.

"Yes Hermione?" what a marvellous time for them to be on first name terms…

He glued on a fake smile over his anxious expression.

Her eyes were but slits under her long lashes. Something sticky and warm was slowly sneaking its self down his arm.

"Speak up miss..um..Hermione was there something you wanted?"

She slowly blinked. Dear lord if Poppy wasn't able to heal Miss Granger he would… he didn't know what he would do.

"It..it's " the injured head girl murmured.

"It's what Hermione?" he asked as he took the stairs in four strides. Keep her talking, keep her with him.

"..nice to see you sir" she managed. He felt the sides of his mouth twitch involuntarily. What a thing to say at a time like this.

"Very nice to see you too Hermione." Two more turns and then a sprint. Soon there soon there.

"You smell nice" she croaked. He laughed out loud. Women, would any man ever understand them?

"Thank you Hermione" Yes overuse her name, its important overuse. Link her to this world. He rounded the last corner. Yes only a sprint left than she would be okay.

He felt her growing heavier in his arms.

He looked down, her eyes had shut. no..

"Hermione?"

The girl was silent and Severus panicked. No no they where almost there!

"Was… Was there anything else Hermione?" he didn't even try to sound calm. She was limp

"Hermione!"

Nothing.

He hugged her tighter to him.

"Hermione stay with me. You can't leave me now Hermione, we're almost there."

The door seemed to slide further away, the woman didn't move. He lifted her closer to his face.

"You can't leave me, don't leave me, please don't leave me Hermione" he whispered in to her hair as the door miraculously and finally was only a step away.

He kept up his nonsense rambling as he hammered ruthlessly on the nurse's door.

"Oh for fuck sake!" he held the dea…LIMP girl to him with one hand and fished out his wand with the other.

One very overdramatic spell later and Severus walked over the remains of the door and in to the hospital wing.

"Poppy!" he screamed.

He wouldn't have needed to. As he spun around he saw the bewildered nurse stumbling in to the room from her private door.

"Would You Hurry Woman! This Is An Emergency!"

Poppy looked at him then down at the bundle in his arms and gasped.

The nurse took command instantly. Severus felt slightly light-headed. Maybe it had strained him more than he let himself know to carry the woman here, or maybe it was all the tension that was going out of him as the nurse put spell after spell on the still figure in the hospital bed. He leaned himself against a wall.

"Is she dead?" he asked the older woman. Miss Granger…_Hermione _sure looked dead.

"Oh no Severus, she just had nasty turn. From what it looks like she have had had a tumble down the stairs. A bad one but nothing I can't mend."

"Oh" he stiffened, he had been overreacting on a gargantuan level.

"..Sure she bit through her lower lip and there is a concussion and a little gash on her head. Cleary some sprains and one or two a fractures. But as I said, nothing I can't mend. I've always told Albus, may he rest in peace" she gave Severus a glare, reminding him who had made the man rest. "…that those stone staircases of his were a death traps, maybe Minerva will listen to me."

Severus just nodded. All that from rolling town a set of stairs? Nasty indeed.

"Well, good Poppy, very good." He turned for the door. She would live. "I got someone waiting for me in my quarters. Take care of her." He swooped out.

Walking down the rather long corridor he couldn't believe he ran through moments ago it hit him.

Damnation! His books!

-------

"Ginny for the hundredth time, I'm fine" Hermione said as her three best friends fuzzed around her hospital bed. She looked at Harry and Ron "At least you guy's can sit down. You've seen me in hospital beds loads of times. Even put me there if I remember it correctly."

The boys squirmed playfully under her mock glare.

Harry and Ron obediently seated themselves, the talk went on.

She wasn't proud of the conversation since Hermione lied to her friends all through it.

According to the hospitalised head girl, she had tripped by her own accord down the stairs. No need for Harry to go on a mad revenge rampage on Draco. Stupid git though he was.

She had only had minor injuries apparently, she was going to tell everyone about a small concussion and a sprayed ankle. No more, they worried enough. And all the other injuries were gone with no trace, Madam Pomfry was a magical worker, pun intended.

Her friends had also asked her who had brought her to the hospital wing. She had no memory of that. That was her story and she was sticking to it.

if Sev…professor Snape told people that it was him, well then she would agree, she didn't remember, could have been him just as well as anyone else. She smiled secretively as she thought that.

No she was lying through her teeth to her friends and it wasn't a nice feeling. But she was trying to protect Draco. He had far too much blame and guilt as it was, no need for him to have to feel responsible for her as well.

After a while a shy knock rang at the door. Hermione could almost feel who it was.

Pomfry bustled over and let Mister Malfoy jr in.

Ginny shot him a glare "what do You want?"

He didn't even spare her a glance "How are you?" he asked.

Ron almost fell of his chair at Malfoy's sincere question. He looked between the two heads. Then he leaned in and whispered to Hermione "you aren't dating him are ye?"

Hermione giggled, "no, but we are civilised towards etch other never the less." She smiled at her oldest friends, "why don't you take a break, I can handle it. I'm sure you guys have homework and a lot of stuff to do. And Malfoy needs to go over today's reports with me"

Ron gave her another doubting look but didn't say anything. The trio left. Not without glaring at the blond in the doorway.

"You didn't tell them" Draco observed as he seated himself next to her.

"Nope."

"You should have, I left you falling"

Hermione arched an eyebrow "You did actually hear me?"

Draco looked out a window "Not falling per say, the echoes of my footsteps masked that, Daphne's wailing helped too, but I noticed you were stuck to me. Yet I didn't stop to untangle you"

"No you didn't"

"I'm sorry Granger, I should have stopped. I even shot you a glance when you detached from me and saw you on the verge of falling but I didn't stop. I'm a compete arse."

"No doubt about it"

Draco looked wretched, almost as bad as when he had talked about almost killing Katie Bell. "Why didn't you cry out?" he more accused than asked her. "I could have helped you to the hospital wing"

Hermione smiled. He felt bad, he just sucked at showing it. "Well, I've been through worse things, if you remember.."

Draco made a face "I do" his eyes were far away, probably reliving his aunt torturing the girl watching him now. He turned his grey eyes back to her "who helped you now, or did you walk yourself?"

Hermione grinned at him "Guess" funny it should be her long time rival and enemy that she could tell the truth to.

Draco sighed and smiled back "he did, did he? Snape seems to be you knight in shining armour all right."

Hermione just smiled blissfully. Draco laughed, then he started wringing his hands

"How bad were you?" he asked tentatively

Damn, she'd hoped she could have been completely honest.

"Only a minor concussion and a sprayed ankle, I think I fainted from the head blow but no worse for wear ay.." she lied, it clearly didn't come out as smoothly as she had hoped because Draco looked doubtfully at her.

Why did everyone do that? It was just some small white lies here and there, just to keep her friends happy. Actually now that she thought about it, the lies were piling up to a considerable stack. She tried not to think of that.

The head boy suddenly looked exceedingly stiff, of course aristocratic purebloods usually did but this was worse than normal.

"You didn't tell him it was me did you?"

Hermione laughed

"No Malfoy I didn't. I'm claiming I fell on my own accorded."

"Thanks.." he seemed to mean it. She smiled back.

He looked at her seriously "in my defence I thought Finnegan would come to your rescue."

"I don't need to be rescued"

"Unless is you prince un-charming who's doing it?"

"Unless that yes." She beamed.

Hermione thought for a minute and decided.

She leaned conspiratorially closer to Malfoy. "I think Snape's in love with me." she looked positively thrilled

Draco did not look convinced "you hit your head worse than you let on.."

"No honest, he kept soothing me and hugging me to him and everything. Said some very nice things too, called me _Hermione_ even."

The blonde's expression of doubt didn't waver.

"Granger, with risk to burst your bubble, I highly doubt Snape to even have feelings…"

Hermione soured "If he does not have feelings then how can he be humping your girlfriend etch and every night? I really think he _feels_ whilst doing her!" she snapped.

Draco snapped too "Imply that one more time Granger and I _will_ break all the bones in your body" He hissed

They glared at one and other.

After some silence Draco asked

"Did he actually say he loved you?"

Hermione looked away "no.. But he seemed to"

"Well then…" he stood up "who knows? Maybe you got a shot" he turned to her before opened the door "unless he actually is jumping Ari that is"


	17. Chapter 16

An: An update, rejoicing! I disclaim ownership on all of it, and pleas for an overseeing eye on my spelling.

**The ****soul's**** heart**

_Chapter__ 16_

A week leisurely went past. Couples were in an abundance around the school ever since the vile dance.

Hermione couldn't walk anywhere without spotting some lovesick duo holding hands and nuzzling etch other just because _their_ love was easy and undoubtedly returned.

She was well now. Magical medicine was magical after all. She could walk, jump and even crawl if she liked to.

The brunette had a sneaking suspicion that the Hogwarts staircases had it in for her, so she was being extra careful around them these days.

The entire school _knew_ now that she had _just _fallen down the stairs with a small concussion and a sprayed ankle, all by her own accord _naturally_. And everyone seemed to accept Hermione's vague story about not remembering how she got to the hospital wing.

Malfoy was silent about it since he didn't want the wrath of Professor Snape on him, no matter if the man loved Hermione or no. the professor would see it at the very least as a murder attempt and flog the poor boy.

Seamus and Greengrass were quite, first off: they didn't know the particulars and secondly: they didn't raise the subject in fear of it spilling out who they were with on the night in question.

And Severus Snape had also remained quiet for reasons all his own.

The head girl was almost sure he loved her. Well actually her logic fought her on every point but even a logical and reasonable girl in her late teens are allowed a bit of silliness if she wants some.

Her favourite memories of the dear professor played themselves through her mind like a well watched cinematic montage.

First was him in the mirror of Freja, behind his desk looking mysterious and smiling at her. Then came the frustrated and angry man opening his door wet and in only a towel. The third on this picture reel was them dancing together, kissing… here smells and feelings flooded the image, making the walking girl sigh dreamily, and fourthly but not lastly was him rescuing her just the other week. Him, Severus holding her close and begging Hermione not to leave him. The smell of him, the sincerity of his voice his protective arms, all this made her swirl.

He might not know he was in love with her but Hermione knew very well that there was only one man for her and he was a grumpy old bugger who would dig in his nails before she could have him. Ha! She was a Gryffindor and she would lift mountains to get what she wanted, his foolish nails were no match. At least that was her feelings in the now.

In this high spirit our heroine danced her way down the corridor ahead of her. She twirled past a particular window in which the headmistress had memorialised the figure of Hermione's beloved jumping out said window.

The head girl blew it a kiss. A late teen is allowed her chare of silliness as previously mentioned.

Hermione composed herself as she reached yet another flight of stairs, wretched stairs…

Not only were they evil but a lovey-dovey pair was giggling themselves up it.

Her mood darkened.

She reminded herself what her mission was and her composure settled. This was not the time to blow kisses at different shaded glass in windows.

This was a time for action.

She was heading down to the dungeons.

Since Hermione was the head girl, one of her privileges was to know all of the teachers' schedules. Professor Snape was just about to end his last class of the day, he was also about to be intercepted by a young woman.

They were going to Talk. Capital T in talk.

----------------------------

Fourth year Slytherins and Gryffindors milled out form the class room. Some nodded to her or in other small ways acknowledged her standing there.

Hermione nodded back and waited until there was barely a trickle of students exiting the room before entering it.

He was bustling about, mostly waving his wand and muttering cleaning spells so to ready the room for another day of teaching.

He was ether growing old or he was growing careless now that the war was over. He seemed not to notice her as she slipped in and closed the door after the last of his students.

The tall man seated himself behind his desk again and picked up a think stack of paper.

"Sir" she announced her presence.

He looked up, Hermione was shocked, it actually seemed like he hadn't noticed her.

Snape groaned and his left hand came up to massage his temples.

"Miss Granger" he greeted her flatly

She stared to walk over to his desk. "Professor" she kept her face void of all emotions "we need to talk"

Snape groaned again. Then he lifted his enchantingly dark eyes and pierced her with them

"No we need not, Miss Granger." He stood up. He defiantly knew his features did not look becoming standing in front of the blackboard like that. He clearly used it to look intimidating.

Hermione had to summon a lot of strange to nether be daunted by his stance or to roll her eyes at him.

"Yes we do sir." She made her voice stern with no trace of pretence. It was important to sound sure right now.

She continued with no hesitation "You are in love with me."

She gave him credit for not even blinking, he just stared at her.

Like a king seating himself back on his thrown the professor sat down again. The head girl was certain he did that on purpose so not to seem in anyway affected by her words.

Snape put his arms on his desk and leaned forward towards Hermione.

"Be sure to listen to me now Miss Granger and listen carefully" he was far from amused. "I am not, or will ever be, in love with you."

She had been expecting this. It would have been nice if he had just jumped around the desk and kissed her passionately but he was never easy like that. So the Gryffindor just arched an eyebrow at him.

"Was that lie for my benefit or yours sir?"

The man's mouth snarled. But his words remained ever so calm and deliberate. He evidently meant for her to not miss a single one of them.

"That was not a lie in the slightest."

She looked at him. He returned her gaze. She smiled. He did not like that.

"Prove it." Hermione said in a bright tone.

He frowned. But before he could come with nasty suggestions of how to prove his distain of her she continued. "I do believe you have bottle of Veritaserum, prove it's a lie."

"I needn't prove myself to you." His eyes were guarded and his voice low. "I'm your professor, my word will be enough for you. I can't go around waste…"

Hermione interrupted him

"You had no qualms when tricking professor Dumbledore in your early years, you didn't hesitate to betray Lord Voldemort when you were in the order, you didn't think twice before misleading the press regarding your resurrection. You have made deceit a survival trait. Why would I believe you to have a single problem lying me in the face?"

Professor Snape arched his eyebrow and leaned back in his chair. "That is slander Miss Granger, five points from Griffindor."

She looked away from him and smiled to herself. Making sure he watched her do so. She didn't need to claim that he avoided the question; she just smiled to herself indulgently. That made him annoyed.

"Anyway Miss Granger, I can't waste expensive and complex potions on a little girl and her silly fancies."

"Complex sir? For you? You've made Wolfsbane and claim you know how to make Second Breath. Surly you aren't avoiding taking a sip from the serum in fear of me being right? That you are in lo.. "

"MISS GRANGER!"

He was on his feet again, angry this time. The bushy haired girl had to draw on resources she hadn't known she had so not to fear him just then.

"What sir?" she hoped the slight tremble in her voice was too small for him to notice.

He walked around the table and stood towering in front of her, how did he seem so tall all of a sudden?

"Misss" he hissed "you are going to stop this foolish game now. You are going to return to your tower and start annoying some boy your own age."

She could have walked away, but she was in to deep. She was going to follow this threw till the very end.

Hermione looked him square in the eye and put her hands on her hips.

"Is that what's holding you back Professor? Our age difference? That means nothing to.."

The menacing man in front of her snapped. He took a hold of her shoulders and pushed her up against the desk.

He pinned her in-between the desk and his body. His eyes weren't enchanting anymore.

Hermione knew her eyes looked like a deer's in headlights again but she couldn't help it.

Snape's face was an inch from hers. She could feel his breath on her face.

"Holding me back Miss Granger...?" he was whispering now, threatening and low. He was scaring her. He intended to.

"I'm an evil old man who has done things your innocent little mind couldn't even be able to comprehend, not even in your worst nightmares."

She blinked. His eyes were indeed threatening but not sexually so. Even if rape had been the first thing she had thought when her body slammed against the desk, she couldn't see it happening. Not if she thought rationally.

He was trying to scare her. He was trying to make her run away. He would never harm her. He carried her bleeding and beaten to the hospital.

The memory of his pleas and protective arms when she had truly needed him flooded her mind. She wasn't afraid of him.

With a soft smile she lifted her right hand and caressed his cheek.

His eyes widened in shock.

"You are the only one here who thinks of you as evil." She said warmly.

He stumbled backwards staring at her. He seemed to be the one frightened now.

"Miss Granger!" he sounded appalled. He realized his outlook and composed himself. "I'm your professor, you are my pupil. This is abominable"

"All I did was touch you sir."

He rolled his eyes and muttered to himself "yes and we all know how that usually turns out."

He looked back down at he girl. "Leave Miss Granger, and get this foolish idea out of your head."

She crossed her arms and stared defiantly at him "Love isn't foolish"

"This isn't love!" he screamed at her. "It's just a one-sided school girl attraction!"

"Than Prove it!" she screamed back "Drink the stupid serum!"

"I'm not wasting valuable school equipment on you!"

"Because you're afraid!"

He stepped closer to her again. It must almost have looked like some dance to an outsider.

His voice was still angry but he meticulously over-pronounced every word he spat out from between his teeth "I Am Not In Love With You!"

"Then what are you afraid of?" she crossed her arms

He threw his arms in the air exasperated

"You're my pupil Granger! This is insane!"

"That's not a problem, I can take my NEWTs early. Was that all?" she was defiantly calm.

"You are half my age!" he raged.

"Age isn't that much of a factor in the wizarding world"

"You are insane!" his arms flew up again as an emphasis.

He was still close to her. And she did feel slightly insane, or possibly just intoxicated with his sent.

"No sir, I'm just in love." With those words she grabbed a hold of his robe and pulled him in to a kiss.

Severus lips were just as soft as she remembered, his smell just as overpowering.

Hermione kissed and kissed and kissed the man. It took her some time before she realised he wasn't moving, not to push her away or to respond.

She released her grip on his clothing.

The dark haired man slowly straightened up.

She was standing face down, blushing but licking her lips. She had enjoyed it at the very least.

She could feel his eyes on her. He was silent for a while.

It was even scarier than last time, then he had at least screamed at her.

She saw him turn

"I don't have time for this, I have meeting." He snapped in his normal voice.

Hermione looked up. He couldn't! Not now!

She grabbed his robe again "with her!" it wasn't a question.

He brushed off the girl's hand. "If with _her _you mean Miss Winter, then yes."

The indignity! Now? How could he? Hermione hated the perfect Miss Winter!

"How can you?!" the tears were falling now. She tried to brush them away.

Snape didn't turn.

"I don't have any need to explain myself to you, on Any Matter. Good day Miss Granger."

He swept out the room with out a single backwards glance.

**AN**: I have so much more planed, but I couldn't fit it in to this chapter, so we end here, stay tuned for public humiliation, some truth and some answers :D


	18. Chapter 17

AN: so here is a fast update, not in the sense that I wrote it fast, only don't get used to my updating speed. I was hoping to fit all this in to the last chapter but obviously I was overly optimistic. Normal disclamation of not owning characters and locations and the ability to spell.

**The ****Soul's**** Heart**

_Chapter__ 17_

Hermione wasn't crying anymore. But the floodgates surly would open again later. Later when she was lying in her bed, in the darkness, alone.

She looked at her watch, it was supper time. With a sigh of despair she walked out of the door he had minutes ago excited so dramatically.

It was quite hopeless. He wouldn't budge. He would never surrender to her.

Or maybe… a wave of doubt past through her and pushed at her tear canals. Maybe he actually didn't love her.

Maybe she was just a stupid little girl idolising an elder man due to some unfulfilled father issues.

She fought with her eyes and won, no more tears for now.

The dark dungeon stretched itself out in front of her. The head girl felt its promise of a cold and long walk back up to the lighter passageways. Maybe it was only her down trodden mood but not even the torches did much to brighten he passages.

She walked along the stone corridors looking at nothing but the floor in front of her. She didn't feel like becoming a damsel today. She didn't even consider the possibility of it being someone else that rescued her. It was always him. Always. Her prince un-charming.

The echoes of her heavy footsteps were the only accompaniment her gloomy thoughts got as she neared the stairs leading up to ground level.

"YOU!" a piercing and very unpleasant voice called.

Hermione turned and groaned inwardly. Miss Winter strode out from an intercepting passage.

"What?!" The less pretty girl didn't even pretend with niceties.

"Grown some stamina since last we met Gardner?" Winter asked. It was evident the girl was already in a bad mood. Hermione's own displeasure wasn't about to ease the matter.

"Spit it out, I have little time for any more Slytherin-bullshit" Hermione snapped and crossed her arms.

She looked the blond up and down. She wasn't that pretty, too thin, shapeless even. The nose was too sharp. The skin was too pale, good thing she moved or she might have been thought dead. And the woman's face was stuck in a permanent outlook of annoyance and displeasure.

How could Snape chose this bone-heap over her?

The walking corps tusked and stepped closer to Hermione.

"Your mistake, I never attended Hogwarts…" the freak purred.

"What did you attend then Bitch? Durmstrang?" Hermione spat.

The insult took Winter by surprise but she bounced back in a tick

"Never you mind Poodle-hair." She growled "That was not why I had a bone to pick with you…" she voice was not as pleasantly low now that the blond was enraged "What have you done to him?!" she shrieked

Hermione stumbled backwards. _She knew…_

What a sod, he'd told Winter and now the girlfriend was on a rampage… or didn't she know and wanted Hermione to confirm it? Must play it safe, Durmstrang students knew dark arts.

"None of your beeswax coat-hanger." She said and strode up the staircase.

"So it was you! It's always you!" Winter tramped after her. Dang. How to shake of an aggravated mop?

"I don't know what you're talking about" Hermione said loftily glancing backwards and down her nose at the older girl. She hoped she was honest, Snape didn't blabber around about that kind of thing did he?

They left the stairs and were walking through the empty entrance hall.

The blonds blue eyes flashed and she grabbed Hermione's shoulder.

"Hey!" the brunette protested but Winter didn't listen. Hermione was swung around and slammed against a set of doors.

"Don't you sneer at me you little maggot!" the icy eyes hissed. And that just did it.

That impact had actually hurt.

"You get of me you oversized bug or you will wish your mother had never squeezed you out!" Hermione snarled pushing at the girl.

It was surprising how the thin looking thing could withstand Hermione's shoves.

"I'll let you go as soon as you… Autsch!" the girl looked disbelievingly at Hermione for a spit second. "you didn't just pull my hair?"

Hermione felt foolish but it was what was expected in a girl-fight and she really would like to yank that lovely plume off that pretty head.

Winter's eyes thinned "You didn't just Pull my HAIR!" and Hermione was shoved, Hard. "I would have done you the same curtsy but I might lose my hand in that thicket of yours!" the blond roared as they fell.

The head girl fell backwards and landed on hard floor, that hurt too. Winter wasn't heavy but hitting the floor with her on top wasn't a picnic and that girl was sharp.

The hate consumed Hermione and she gave in to the hate.

Not wanting the damned woman to get the upper hand Hermione hastily pushed the girl of her before she could get a good grip on the situation.

"You mad stick insect get the hell of me!" Hermione screamed and scramble to her feet.

Ari stumbled to hers too.

"I'd rather be a stick insect than a blasted birds nest!" she bellowed after Hermione.

"Yeah?! Well I'd rather have birds in my hair that having to look at your ugly mug a second longer. Run home to mummy you wench!" Hermione tried to turn dramatically.

She didn't mange it since for some reason the blond lunged herself at her again. Thankfully Hermione was able to dance a little way from the madden Winter so that the older woman only got a grab of Hermione's robe and didn't knock her over.

"My MUMMY EY?!" the taller girl shrieked, crazy vibrating off every part of her. She snagged an iron grip around Hermione's collar and raised her fist.

Hermione head-butted her. It was a lousy blow due to Hermione hesitating about the fact that it would hurt her too but startled her captor. Winter let go and the one of them still attending school backed away a few steps

"For Merlin's sake!" Hermione screamed at the pale doll with a pink mark on her forehead. "All I did was kiss him, You psycho assed Barbie!"

Winter blinked, maybe the hit had been better than Hermione thought, Ari didn't seem to know what they were talking about.

That was almost good… than Hermione could trick the girl in to answering that question that needed to be answered.

"Yes" she continued in the same scream "I Kissed Your Dear Slytherin Boyfriend!"

Ari looked bewildered "You…. kissed him?"

"Yes! Twice! But I'm sure you've…" Hermione was seeing white, the hate of the thing standing there looking baffled clouded everything else. Yet.. yet she couldn't grasp her mind around the vile word she wanted to use here. "..Done far worse than that!" nope she couldn't say it. Even if her entire being wanted to pound the stuffing out of this pathetic life form for doing _it_.

Winter first looked shocked, than it seemed like light finally hit that idiot and she laughed. Hermione balled her fists. Pounding her to a pulp would be very nice.

"Kissing, oh dear! We left that base a long long time ago!"

And the whiteness went black.

"You admit it?!!" Came the scream. It felt like fire burning in her eyes. It was true, all her fears were true, Winter and Snape was true! Hermione never stood at chance, and how could she next to this Aphrodite?

"Well Duh.." Winter scoffed

"You Tramp!" Hermione yelled, her entire body emphasised every word now in her furious state. "You Hypocritical Tramp!" she didn't leave Winter room to get even half a syllable in edgewise "First You leave Malfoy with the pathetic excuse that he's becoming a Death Eater But THEN you Run right in to the arms of Severus Snape, Notorious Voldemort-servant! You Wicked Psycho Bitch!! I Hope You get a blast from Fucking Snape 'cuz he's never going to love you!! 'Cuz he doesn't have a heart and nether do you, You Slytherin Whore!!!"

Hermione fell silent and the room echoed her last words. She didn't like using that strong language. And as she looked around the room she remembered why.

Riiiight…supper time.

The entire school stared at her and Miss Winter in shocked silence. Some of the student's looked appalled others amused and Hermione really, REALLY didn't dare to look up towards the staff table. He deputy Headmaster would be there.

Oh shit. Oh shitohshitohshitOH SHIT!

Winter had also noticed their surroundings and glared around herself. Ether she was angry or blushing really didn't adorn her pale face well. Tomatoes were not that red.

She stomped over towards Hermione and as she past took a grip around said's neck and pulled her out with her.

The double doors slammed after them.

Severus lowered the cup he had been holding all through the short but very eventful display.

The buzz that followed his to ladies fight didn't need more than a second to escalate to a roar.

He dared a glance a Minerva. She looked like someone had hit her repeatedly with a frying-pan.

Oh lord….

Severus glanced at the door. He wondered if he should ask the Headmistress for permission to kill her little prodigy.. no wait, it would be better to make Hermi.._Granger's_ death look like an accident.

He felt Minerva's head almost painfully turn towards him.

She was ignoring the hullabaloo in her dining hall and she just stared dumfounded at him.

The renowned witch opened and shut her mouth like a fish on land. She did not look like one of the most influential women in Brittan at that exact moment.

Before she could get her mind in order Severus felt it best to leave.

He stood up and with a curt nod he excused himself from the hall.

------------

The double doors slammed behind them but Winter didn't let go of Hermione's neck. She pulled the girl over to the nearest door and flung the girl inside it.

Hermione stumbled in to the room and fought to keep her balance.

She had been in here once before. This was where the first years waited to be sorted on their first day.

"You air-headed skank." Winter advanced on Hermione

"Oh sorry for outing your little relationship like that" Hermione jeered, she didn't like the look in those blue eyes

Winter didn't even seem to have heard her

"Severus?" she spat "Me? Shagging Severus?" she looked disgustedly at Hermione "what the fuck's wrong with you?"

Hermione bit her lip. Oookay, Winter had apparently NOT shagged Snape.

The hazel brown eyes looked up and with a defiant stare met the icy blue ones.

"Maybe not shagged the professor then.." she began "But clearly you are in love with him!" again she didn't allow for protests. "Why else are you here all the time, launching about in his quarters? Why else did you make him invite you to the stupid ball, and you did brew Second Breath for him!"

Hermione snapped her mouth shut and looked victoriously at the other woman. Her stance said: _Ha explain that, bitch_.

Winter rolled her eyes.

"With that evident lack of looks and cursed hair one would thin you'd been blessed with brains. Clearly the creator failed you. Do I have to spell everything out for you?"

Hermione glared.

Ari sighed and pulled one well manicured hand through her mane of hair.

"Fine" she sighed and gave Hermione an exasperated look. "I am not in love with Severus. No no let me finish. I'm here as often as I can spare due to the fact that I'm studding under him to become a Potions Mistress."

"Ha!" Hermione scoffed "That's a lie, your father is a Potions Master and you could just study under him. And if you can brew Second breath you shouldn't really need studying."

Ari shoot Hermione a look.

"My father has been insane since the first war against the dark lord. He resides permanently at St Mungos"

"Oh.."

"Yeah that's life, for the brew's part.. it used to be my fathers speciality. I've spent years and years trying to live up to the man he used to be."

Hermione still didn't know what to say. Winter didn't stop speaking so that was good, no gaps to fill.

"And the ball thing. Yes well. I was already invited, and I wanted Severus there for… for personal reasons." The tone didn't allow questions on that matter. So it probably had to do with Draco.

Hermione guessed it had been Draco Ari had thought She herself had kissed back out in the great hall. Oh.. That's why she been so hating all the time. Draco. riiight.

"And lastly can't a person be nice and leave someone they cared for IN AN UNROMANTIC WAY a potion to save lives, I never even thought of the possibility that Severus might die.."

Hermione lifted her eyebrow,

"You knew he was a traitor then?"

Ari looked up, she hadn't looked at Hermione whilst speaking "No"

"So you left a man you thought was a Death Eater, And you claim to hate them or so I've heard, a potion of astounding healing?"

That question made Ari blush, it wasn't becoming at all. The entire face became red.

"Well, I..um.. It's complicated okay. But I didn't leave an aid to the Death eaters! My mother was a Death eater and I don't like them at all okay!"

"Your mother was a death eater?"

"Yeah she died this war. Fighting for the wrong cause"

Hermione felt a sympathetic twinge. It didn't last because Winter broke the silence. She'd been looking Hermione up and down for a couple of seconds.

"So You're her, the girl who danced with Severus at the ball. Never thought he had a taste for Virgins" Dead mum, insane dad. But even so, it didn't make up for being so undescribingly rude.

"I danced with Snape at the ball. You danced with Malfoy" she didn't dignify _virgin_ with an answer. "So clearly we are not in love with the same Slytherin."

Winter looked away and humpfed.

The silence stretched.

The door opened.

If it was Snape, Hermione was going to kill herself with the nearest object at hand, it being Ari, that feet might take some creativity.

Three heads looked in

Winter rolled her eyes, she seemed to like doing that "oh look, Heroes. And here is me without my autograph pad"

"Found you" Ron said and dragged Harry and Gin' in after him.

Harry closed the door.

"Quite the rumpus you girls made out there" Ron continued smiling unsurely.

Winter surveyed Hermione's friends critically.

"Well I'm not staying in here any longer" she announced. "There's two Weasleys in here already one can only imagine how many there will be in a couple of minutes"

She strode out.

"She really did Snape?" Ron asked after the door had closed behind her.

Hermione squirmed.

"Apparently not… she probably thought we where talking about Malfoy"

"Oh" he almost looked relieved.

Ginny looked at her feet and Harry seemed to appreciate the rooms décor. The four of them said nothing.

Ginny finally gathered up her courage and looked Hermione in the eye. The smile was only plastered on but it is the thought that counts.

"So Herm… you kissed Snape. Twice."


	19. Chapter 18

AN: yey update! Dyslecsia still active, still writing this with spell-check be glad or this would be even more undecipherable. Jk Rowling has full rights to locations and characters.

**The Soul's heart**

_Chapter 18_

It was later. All four of them sat in the head's common room as Hermione tried to fill them in on the latest weeks' events.

Her friends sat silent.

Ron looked uncomfortably at her as she explained. Ginny sat staring at her hands, listening intently and Harry seemed to be looking at anything but Hermione. He hadn't spoken one word. Not one.

It was uncomfortable to tell them. Unravel all her lies.

Well except maybe a few.

No need to get Malfoy in to trouble about her bone-braking and Seamus story wasn't hers to tell.

It was worse telling them about dancing with the professor on the balcony and then pure torture about this noon when she had spilled her guts to the man in the dungeon.

Nearly an hour after they had dragged themselves up to the head's quarters there was a creak at the door.

They turned, Malfoy walked though the entrance.

He looked about as happy as a man informed that he would soon be dying a very painful and vivid death that would be dragged out for days.. Which is not happy at all.

Ginny rolled her eyes but didn't look at either of the head's.

"Oh right, _he_ lives here too" she muttered without bothering to hide her distain.

Malfoy glanced at them but headed towards the stairs leading up to his room.

Ron saw his chance. No need to slip up an opportunity like this.

"Oy Malfoy," he barked. Malicious grin all over his face. It was nice to see a real smile enter the room Hermione observed.

Draco stopped and gave Ron a dead stare.

Ron continued his smile "How does it feel to know your ex would rather sleep with Snape than you?" Ron asked not so tactfully.

Draco raised an eyebrow. "Right back at ya"

That shut Ron up.

"Come here Malfoy, we're story telling and this last part you should hear too"

Draco hesitated and looked longingly up his staircase but walked over to the four Gryffindors. He didn't sit down. Probably as a protest or something.

And Hermione rounded off her story with what happened before and after she and Winter entered the great hall.

Draco huffed and pulled his hand through his hair. "Nice" he said sarcastic "You thought I was gay and she thought I was sleeping with you"

Harry looked up

"You aren't Gay?" it was his first words since Hermione had seen him today and it almost startled her.

"Yeah you wish Potter." Draco scoffed and glared at the messy haired boy.

"Fuck No, that would be a turned and twisted world" the hero muttered and took a protective grip around Ginny's waist.

Draco winked at him and made mock kissing noises towards the other boy. Harry tried to ignore him but Hermione could see that the grip around Ginny's waist grew more intent.

"You know what really bugs me Hermione" Ginny had had practise ignoring boys.

Hermione turned to her friend

"..that you felt you couldn't tell us." Ron finished for his sister

Draco looked between them.

"Well Granger, see you later, I got stuff to do." He hurried up to his room, leaving them room to talk.

Hermione smiled after him but then turned to look at her friends.

Harry was still avoiding her eye but the red heads meet her eyes.

"I'm sorry guys it's just, well he's Snape!"

"Sad but true" Ron nodded indulgently. He moved closer and patted her back.

Hermione turned and buried herself in to his uniform. The tears gushed out, she'd been holding them in since she had left the dark man's dungeon and now with the release of her friends finally knowing, she couldn't contain the flood any longer.

"Oh Ron! I thought you would be the least understanding! y-you know with o-our history!"

Ron hugged her.

"Herm, I'm just glad you're over me. I was worried when you didn't have anyone now when I got Tara…"

"But its Snape!" she wailed

He laughed, uncomfortable again "Yes it regrettably is.. buuut and there is a light here! He did save my brother."

Hermione laughed, tears trickling from her eyes.

"True, and I clearly like them tall" she gave Ron a meaningful look.

He blushed and nodded playfully.

"He's brave too"

Hermione turned and smiled at Ginny.

"Seventeen years lying to You-Know-Who isn't cowardly." The girl smiled.

"Thank you Ginny" Hermione sniffed "it means a lot to me"

They hugged as well.

Then Hermione looked at Harry. He didn't return her gaze.

"H-Harry?"

He sighed and looked down at his hands. Her eyes were still a bit much apparently, that stung.

"Hermione, it's not that I don't.. you know, I still care for you. But as you say…It's Snape."

That stung even worse.

"oh okay" She looked away from him.

"I was happy to see him alive back when you saved his life but.. well.. I thought he would be different. That he would stop pretending to be a bustard but he didn't, he just turned out to be a bustard, period. And I just feel like he's going to hurt you Hermione. For that matter he already has. On a number of occasions. He's not worthy you." Harry explained

"Thank you…I suppose Harry. But I can't help it. I'm in love with him Harry"

"I get that but. He hasn't been nice to you. At all."

"But if he had been? If he had been nice to me but a bustard to everyone else? Would that have been okay?" she asked him.

He glanced up at her, it was nice to see his eyes "I guess…" he didn't sound to sure "I suppose there is no other way for him to be nice. than privately nice, I mean."

She smiled and whipped at her tears. "That'll do Harry, that'll do."

There was a knock at the door.

"Come" Hermione shimmed.

Neville cracked open the door and looked around the room.

"Hermione?"

"Yes Nev?" she could se him talking in her swollen and red streamed eyes.

"Um..I'm sorry but, the headmistress wants you in her office now"

Bugger

Hermione stood. She hugged Ginny and squeezed Ron's hand and with out a backwards glance she strode out after Neville. She would face McGonagall and there would be nothing but truth.

Neville smiled nervously at Hermione, well everyone in the entire freaking castle knew now who Hermione had kissed…twice, and so weird looks seemed to be something to get used to.

They didn't speak, he only nodded at her and left her standing at the gargoyle that guarded the entrance to the headmistress office.

Hermione looked down at it and took a deep breath, naturally she knew that password so that wasn't an issue…

Would he be there?

Were they both summoned to be scolded and he maybe even fired?

Or were she the only one here?

In ether case, it wouldn't hurt to prepare herself to the possibility of seeing him. Oh he must be angry with her.

She spoke the password and walked up the evolving stairs to the office above.

"Enter" came the sharp tone of Minerva McGonagall after Hermione's tentative knock to said's office.

Hermione stepped in.

The headmistress sat ominous behind her desk. In front of dark wooden table he stood.

Bugger Bugger Frick Frick Frick!!!

"You summoned me Professor" Hermione's voice tried with all it's might to sound innocently curious.

McGonagall just looked at her. The disapproving eyes followed the girl as she walked over to stand next to Snape in front of the desk.

But as unnerving it was to be stared at by the most powerful witch in England, it was noting compared to seeing Snape's face turn slightly to look down at her as she took her place next to him. She looked the other way.

Oh the Gryffindor sword, still hung in here, that's nice…

"Miss Granger.." McGonagall's tone brought the head-girl back to the present. "I hope you know why you're here."

Hermione widened her eyes and blinked at the headmistress "Not really"

"So your little display with Miss Winter earlier today is not something you remember?" The older women leaned forward and knotted her hands together. She looked very very displeased.

"I do recall that yes Professor, I our, and certainly _my_ behaviour lacked much to be desired. I apologise for that."

Minerva raced a unimpressed eyebrow "Apologies don't quite cut it Miss Granger. For one thing, You are the head-girl, you should behave in a exemplary way, you should know better. "

Hermione blushed, she had not been behaving like the ideal student no.

"I am sorry Professor, I should have know better. I can't say how sorry I am. It was all a misunderstanding. I and Miss Winter have settled our grievances…"

the disapproving eyebrow was raised again.

"Yeees" the grey haired woman said slowly "And that leads us to the second thing.."

Hermione bit her cheek, this was probably going to be bad.

At least Snape hadn't looked at her since the headmistress had spoken Hermione's name. The Gryffindor didn't dare glance at him now. He must be furious with her.

"..I have had both Miss Winter up here explaining the" here McGonagall paused to select a suitable word "_matter. _Then I summoned You here. Now please Miss Granger.. Explain. Explain everything."

Hermione shoot a look at the potions master even though she didn't really dare. He was looking out the window some further behind the school's head.

She was alone in this.

Had he already been interrogated? And why he had to be her while she spilled her heart? For the third time today.. or was it fourth? It was just one of them days.. she sighed and gave her former teacher a tired look.

"Professor Snape is my Mirror match. I see him in the Mirror of Freja."

"I see" was that the older lady's answered to that, she had already been told this. She didn't seem to approve of the fact. Who did? Save Hermione her self?

Certainly not the handsome man next to her..

"That got me intrigued" Hermione continued "and to sum it up: As I wondered why me and the professor was a good match I fell in love with him."

McGonagall closed her own eyes and touched her forehead lightly. She seemed pained. This she had not been told.

Snape turned his attention form the window and looked down at Hermione. Hermione looked back up at him.

His face was unreadable. Completely void of any emotion.

She just healed his gaze defiantly.

Minerva looked up at the two of them.

"and..? the headmistress encouraged

The brunette turned her eyes upon the now very tired looking woman.

"I tried at first to deny it but love is not an emotion to be quelled easily so I gave in. during your ball I kissed the professor."

It seemed Minerva's headache was increasing "At the… _my_ ball?"

"We had to dance professor, the spell remember? But no one saw us, Professor Snape made sure we were discreet."

Minerva turned to look at Snape, he nodded slightly then the woman turned back enquiringly at Hermione. Sort of like someone picking at something painful but unable to stop.

"The Professor was outraged by my inappropriate behaviour and he very expressively told me to get the foolishness out of my head."

Snape made a noise but the women ignored him.

"_Expressively_? I don't doubt it" McGonagall nodded.

"When it comes to Miss Winter" Hermione continued her explaining "I had grown extremely jealous of that her since I had misinterpreted the situation and thought her the Professors Girlfriend. And you witnessed my ungracious dealings with her."

Hermione fell silent and looked at the headmistress.

Minerva looked back.

The silence stretched.

Then the older woman opened a drawer and held up the mirror of Freja.

"What a trouble this turned out to be" she observe whilst smiling in to the thing. Then she turned it to face her quests. "So my head-girl and my deputy headmaster are matched up."

She continued to hold it up and almost forcing hem to look inside it.

It had been a while since Hermione had gazed upon Snape in this form. The Ball and evil staircases and public humiliation made it seem like ages ago.

He was still magnificent to behold.

Lit by candle light, framed by dark hair, enchanting eyes and a mysterious smile. Had the real deal ever smiled at her? Not that she'd ever seen.

She sighed and looked longingly at the unobtainable love she saw in her reflection.

"Severus be quite something in there for you to sigh like that Miss Granger.. but as I was getting at, I believe you claimed to have kissed my deputy twice?" The headmistress lowered her toy.

"Yes. I kissed him earlier today." Oh how late was the hour? It was dark outside. The moon had been out for hours. Eleven PM?

Snape mad a strangled noise.

"I see" was the curt response of McGonagall. She turned to Snape "and did you express the impropriety this time as well Severus?"

he glared down at his superior.

"I expressed my disapproval yes."

Minerva sighed and looked between her guests.

"There is noting going on between the two of you then?" she asked them.

"I wish" Hermione muttered while Snape sternly answered with

"Absolutely Nothing"

"Well then. But to be on the safe side, with the ministry you understand, I will see to it that Miss Granger is removed form you class Severus"

he nodded.

"She has expressed a wish to take her NEWT's early so that can't be a problem" he smirked in Hermione's direction.

Hermione glared at him.

Minerva stood up, signalling that the meeting was over.

"Good, we will do our best to quell this. I can't have people think that I let teachers have affairs with their students"

The seemingly slumbering portrait behind her chuckled softly.

"You can leave." The headmistress announced and they took their leave.

-----------------------------------------

The ride down the staircase was heavy with silence.

Hermione looked at her watch it was indeed late.

In the way Snape moved she could clearly see that he wished to be rid of her has fast as possible.

As soon as the door out to the corridor opened he and his robes swished through it.

"Wait" Hermione heard herself ask him.

Severus stopped. He didn't turn to her though. They were alone in the corridor.

The rest of the school were suppose to be in bed by now. Ten was the curfew.

"Tell me sir.." her voice were weak, it's spirit broken. "Tell me this one thing and I will do as you ask me."

Severus turned. The girl was looking down at the floor, not meeting his eyes.

"I'll stop my pursuit of you. I'll not bother you with my love again if you just tell me.."

"tell you?" he asked.

Her brown eyes looked up and met is almost black ones.

"About what you see in the mirror of Freja."

He groaned.

"Miss Granger I.."

She interrupted him. It seemed to be a habit she had

"Don't worry sir, I won't gain hope from it. I just want to hear how I would look if you saw me as beautiful. I promise that will be the last you'll hear from me on the matter."

Her eyes were pleading, almost starved.

"Then you will leave this foolishness be?"

"On my honour sir." She was sincere, something had convinced her of his indifference.

He sighed, and as he desirably made his voice nonchalant he turned and started to walk away from her

"You are on beach. The wind is toying with your hair and summer clothes. You are laughing and smiling out through the mirror."

Severus disappeared around a bend.

He didn't see Hermione standing there listening to the reseeding echoes of his disappearing feet. He didn't see her sigh and with one last look turn and walk defeated off to her room.


	20. Chapter 19

AN: wow an update! It took forever to finish this chapter. I'd written myself into a corner. I had a plan and everything but how to formulate it..? oh well here we are. Jks most of it. she can have the rest if she asks nicely.

**Chapter 19**

_The__ Soul's heart_

"I was tired and in the hopelessness of the moment I just gave in…," Hermione explained as the merry troop had once again gathered in her and Draco's room. The Slytherin had left as soon as he saw the Gryffindors, which was fine by them.

"You just gave up?!" Ginny exclaimed. "You fought so hard, you've even outed yourself in front of the entire school, and then just give up?! That just doesn't make sense! You're a Gryffindor we are enduring!"

"I outed myself by accident Ginny. Besides, he bluntly trampled my feelings twice yesterday, once to my face and once to McGonagall. That, and I relived all the times he stomped on my heart before yesterday, also twice, seeing I told you guys and McGonagall. I was emotionally exhausted and that's without counting the disaster with Miss Winter that you so sweetly mentioned Gin. All that in one day. I just…," Hermione faltered. "My heart couldn't take more of his indifference and offensive refusals. So I promised would leave him alone."

Ginny looked around the room for an answer "But! But this is Snape! If you really like him then… well you'll have to break him down! It will take some time, that's obvious!"

"My heart can't take the abuse it would insure from years of hunting the Professor," Hermione smiled.

Harry turned from looking out the window to the two girls on the sofa. "Don't encourage her Ginny. I think it wise of her to realise the damage that evil old sod would keep on causing her if she continued her hopeless pursuit. He's not capable of real love."

Ron sat in front of the fireplace playing with Crookshanks. "Who died and made you so cynical Harry?" he asked as the cat tried to brutally remove Ron's fingers.

"Everyone?" Harry asked.

"I can't believe you're so hard on Snape Harry. _Everyone_ would have died if not for him and his miracle brew. He revived Fred and twenty-six others. He's a bloody hero!" Ron persisted.

"A hero who killed Dumbledore and who saw to it my parents died. He might only have wished for my father's death, but they both died, and so, almost, did I."

Hermione looked up and straight in to Harry's eyes. "An action he dedicated the rest of his life to repent for. And Dumbledore committed suicide to save you Harry. "

Harry only rolled his eyes. "So, you are pro death-help now 'ey? Geez. You really are in love with the old bustard aren't you?"

"I think I have been telling you for quite a while Harry." Hermione and Harry only glared at each other.

Ginny had enough and stood up and walked over to Harry. She smacked him over the head.

"Ow! What the... Ginny!"

"You listen to me now Harry James Potter! Are you going to grumble about old mistakes and grievances that have been forgiven by the entire wizard community months ago and stand by your friend in her despair or what?"

"HE KILLED MY PARENTS!"

"And He risked his life everyday for the good of the magical community to atone for his mistake!"

"That and he saved our brother Harry." It was Ron who had decided to stop playing with a homicidal cat.

"And I fell in love with him…," Hermione looked with pleading eyes up at her long-time friend.

Harry looked between his friends. Then he sighed and hung his head. "Even if I assent to this, it's too late. Hermione promised to leave him alone."

It looked like Ginny was about to pull her hair and scream. Hermione smiled indulgently, her younger friend had always been a bit of a sap for romance stories. Especially Beauty and the Beast. Of course this time it was Brainy and the Beast.

-------------------------------------------

He looked up at the clock on his wall; she should have been back by now. Surely she wasn't this slow. Maybe she was dawdling to get out of executing the next and considerable difficult part of the brewing.

It wasn't that hard. Not if she had prepared properly.

The potions-master sighed and did what his apprentice should have been back for by now and done.

When he was done he seated himself in his favourite armchair by the fire and reached for his glass. Potion brewing was mostly about waiting, well if one was making the difficult and advanced potions it was.

Severus looked down in to the golden liquid he held. When had he started drinking this often?

Ah yes. When Artemis had brewed Second Breath and left it for Miss Granger to find and force feed to his corpse. When Minerva had the brilliant idea of _loosing_ her magic mirror about the school. When He and Miss Granger found out that their souls loved each other. Astral romance…how silly. When Miss Granger professed not only her soul's love for him, but also her own. Yes. Somewhere in, or around that.

He sipped the whisky and let his eyes rest on the dancing flames.

Miss Granger… _Hermione_. The girl had promised to never bother him with her infatuation again.

In the flames he saw her lit by moonlight dancing in his arms. He saw her sprawled helpless on the ground. He saw her in a summers dress laughing in the wind….

Hermione would never be able to keep to her promise no matter how quiet the girl was on the matter. She had snuck into his brain and kept bothering him with her love at every opportune moment.

He disgusted himself. She was only a child. Still his pupil, but his dreams didn't care of such trivial things.

Every night they replayed her kissing him or confessing her feelings or dancing with him.

No Miss Granger had made a promise she could never keep. The matter, as she had put it, was bothering him despite what she did.

---------------

"FUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFKFKFKFKF!" Artemis' brain screamed.

The blasted books that the old bugger had asked for clamped in her arms as she ran out of the library.

Madam Pince had not readily surrendered her precious books to an outsider. She was going to miss the crucial procedure in the potion. She had been working non-stop with that brew for the last fortnight, and she wouldn't put it past the evil bat to just ignore the whole process just to teach her a lesson on the importance of time.

If the bustard did that Artemis swore she would render the man useless for the bushy-haired heroine and every other female on the planet for eternity.

She charmed her feet to run just a bit faster than she was actually able to do. It was not a good idea. She lost control and a bit of her vision and then … BOOM!

All her precious time-consuming books flew up in the air and scattered like autumn leafs. Heavy leafs. Leafs of the rock-tree, if there was such a thing.

She glared at the green glad figure equally as knocked of his feet as her. She didn't stop glaring has her heart skipped a beat. Quidditch gear and messy hair aside, she would recognise him anywhere.

"A-Ari?" Draco asked. Like he didn't have two storm coloured eyes that could melt your heart to see with.

"No the Tooth fairy." She stood up and brushed off her dress. Now she wasn't only going to mutilate Snape she was also going to massacre Malfoy.

"You still studying under Snape?" he asked as he also took to his feet. One of her books had landed near him, hopefully it hit him during its dissent. He picked it up.

"Is that suppose to be a joke?" she bore her most detesting stare into him.

"What? No! I was not trying to insinuate anything." He gestured at the book he was holding. "Potion Naps, Comatoses, Deep Slumbers and Other Sleeps, by Horrense Tyron, III," he read off the cover. "I just assumed…."

"Then why did you ask?" she kept the ice clear in her voice. She didn't bend down and pick up the other three books. It would bee a sign of weakness. Or possibly trust. Artemis just stood there glaring at him.

He smiled an almost tired little smile and handed her the book. "It's nice to see you again."

That hit her like a ton of bricks. He wasn't supposed to be nice. They were not brought up to be nice. She was taken by surprise. Artemis blinked one too many times but settled quickly. A hard edge of doubt entered her voice as she took the book.

"Really…," she pulled at the book. He didn't let it go. He held it just as steady as he held her gaze.

"Yes."

She yanked the book out of his grasp. Her eyes burned. Not only with rage, but with held back tears. She had missed him. She wanted him. She needed him. But he had broken her heart. He had joined the people who had damaged her father, who had made her mother so cold. He had chosen them over her. Yet she wished for nothing but to hold him in her arms again.

She bored her eyes in to his. The orbs pulled at her, at her heart, but she showed nothing but anger. "You have no one but yourself to blame Malfoy," she spat at him.

"You asked me to choose between you and my family. To turn my back on my beliefs, the magic world, on everything I knew, to become a muggle. I couldn't do that."

"You chose to become a murderer and to turn your back on humanity instead. How honourable. Does it feel good now Malfoy?"

"Could I do it all again…," he faltered. This wasn't like him. He showed emotions. Just like at that stupid ball when he told her he still loved her. Just like his face had done in the Great hall yesterday when he thought she slept with Snape. It was unsettling. "…I would come with you."

And yet again he hits her with a sack full of bricks. Bustard.

She blinked. That was all she revealed of her surprise. She wasn't going to show emotion even if he apparently bared his heart every fifteen minutes these days.

"But you didn't. You chose them over me," she kept her low and voice matter of fact now. No need to shout when whispering would cut just as deep.

He bowed his head. His blond hair fell over his face in a very flattering way. Artemis wished he would never slime it back up.

"I love you," he told the floor. "Always have, always will."

Ari summoned the rest of her books.

"I told you I would never love a man who bore the Dark Mark."

He lifted his head again. His eyes, his face, his lips. Oh his lips, they tasted so sweet. She had a flash memory of how wonderful they felt against her own lips, her cheek, her neck....

"I made a mistake, are you so cold that you can't find it in your iced heart to even try to forgive me?!"

He was angry now. He looked more like his mother when he was angry. Apparently Narcissa had saved the day and Potter, according to the paper.

She just looked at him and then stepped around him.

He grabbed her arm.

"You are that callous?" his voice was raised and his perfect eyebrows where drawn together, half irate, half questioning. "Is there nothing left of me in your heart? When I learned you saw me in that mirror I just hoped your love for me hadn't died but…," he was almost pleading now. Not nearly as sexy as when he was angry.

So easy it would be to drop all the books with her principles and just fling herself around his neck. So easy….

"Answer me woman!" he screamed at her still figure. She just stood there staring emptily in front of her. Draco lifted his free hand and turned her face towards his. "At least look at me." She looked. "I'm sorry. I-I love you Artemis Winter. I love you," he whispered.

Draco closed the distance between them and tilted his head so that their foreheads rested against each other.

Ari didn't try pull away. She didn't know if she could. "I would do anything to get you back Ari, anything. I'd swear off magic, I'd move to the muggle world. I'll cut of my arm to remove that evil tattoo. Please Ari please…."

He had his eyes closed. She stared at him, her face blank. She didn't know what to feel.

They stood so, forehead to forehead. Him holding her close. Silent.

His breathing was all she heard. Was she breathing? She didn't know.

He loved her. He was sorry. He hadn't actually killed anyone. He would change it if he could. And most importantly, he hadn't died. What more could she ask of him?

She saw his face grow pained as she didn't say anything. Artemis bit her lip. Then she spoke, in a low voice she asked, "Would really you cut it off?"

His eyes opened and they were very shiny. The grey storms more beautiful than ever.

"For you? Yes."

She smiled. He smiled too

"You might not have to."

His lips were more wonderful than she remembered, and hadn't he grown a bit?


	21. Chapter 20

AN: an update, whoopee. :D it's my story but Mrs Rowlings characters settings and world :)

I can't spell. I always upload my chapters before the beta has had a look. I will re-update it betad later on. Thank you.

Edit: it has now been edited by my beta nevillesgirlfriend

**The Soul's Heart**

_Chapter 20_

The green concoction bubbled serenely under his gentle steering. It had to be gentle, or the next ingredient was going to make a big impact on the room's decoration, and sooty grey had never been his thing. Severus was more of a pure black.

Artemis, his so called assistant, danced lazily around in the background, supposedly taking notes.

Bah, notes. She was dancing. Ari was supposed to be just a sarcastic and cynical woman. Not a lovey-dovey little girl.

Ever since she and Malfoy made up she had been nothing but a pain. More of a pain than usual that was.

The nagging blond had even begun to make little remarks about Granger.

…Hermione.

He hadn't even seen that girl for almost two weeks. Except at meal times of course. Not that he looked for her in the milling maroon crowd of Gryffindors.

She didn't even attend the Head's meetings. Malfoy came alone and just handed him the sheets of parchment with Hermione's report. Which was a good thing. The less he saw of her, the more it quelled those scandalous rumours.

It wasn't that he missed her. No, not at all. But these days Advanced Potions was getting unnervingly droll.

The knuckleheads left in there were just so stupid. Hermione's annoying mannerisms and impudent answers made, in retrospect, the class seem semi-intelligent. Nowadays only idiocy remained.

He had found himself glancing over towards her now empty seat. Especially after the entire room had failed to answer one of his simpler questions.

He reached for the purple bottle containing the liquidised Manticore mane.

A strand of hair fell over his face and he jerked his head to remove the nuisance. The rest of the black oily revulsion had been tied back, so to minimalise the risk of it falling into his brew.

The gesture made him glimpse himself in the mirror standing in a corner to his left side.

His eyes met the eyes of the same horrible man as always. The small black eyes peering back at him with disdain. The greasy hair that had caused him ridicule for decades. Yet the hair had nothing on the beak of a nose. His father's main legacy to his face. Most of his features he'd inherited from that wretched man, but the crocked nose was the most predominant one. Then there were the Spider-web thin lines running all over the face, declaring the age of this old evil man.

Him, this shell of a broken, but cruel and aged man. This man a young, a lush girl claimed to care for.

With the unbidden assistance, his minds-eye changed the image in the mirror to feature her.

Her brown amber eyes looked up into his. She lifted her smooth and delicate hand to caress his cheek.

"_You are the only one here who thinks of you as evil." _The memory told him in her bell-like voice. Her entire being had radiated a warmth and love that had scared him. How could such a flower look at a monster like him in such a way?

Sluuuuurp

Severus turned form the mirror to look in to his cauldron. The green liquid had turned purple, as it should. It was also creating a whirlpool and devouring itself, as it should not.

Severus stumbled backwards.

Artemis who was flipping through a book looked up.

The slurping sound was replaced by a whooshing sound as the cauldron's content exploded upwards in a pillar of purple fluid.

Most of the descending mass managed to return to the cauldron. Most… good thing there were house-elves to deal with the rest.

"What the fuck did you do?" Ari asked, breaking the stunned silence.

Severus didn't answer; he walked cautiously forward, avoiding getting any of the goo on to his person.

The part of the brew that had found itself back to the cauldron bubbled innocently away and pretended it had not just exploded enthusiastically all over the place.

"Morlock essence?" Artemis asked, she had silently snuck up alongside him. The girl was holding a purple bottle tentatively between thumb and forefinger; it had not been spared the goo rain.

Her questioning eyes looked up at him. "I thought it was Manticore mane we needed in this stage of the process…?"

Severus grumbled. He should have looked at the damned flask before pouring its contents into the concoction. But his mind had been else were. An unwise place for it to be at a time like that.

Ari looked down at the innocent bubbling liquid.

"We should find a guinea pig and force feed this to it to see what happens," the sadistic girl suggested eagerly.

"Ari, cruelty to animals is the first sign of a sociopath."

"Well can't we borrow a Weasley then? They seem to be of abundance around here."

Severus smiled humoured.

"Tempting notion, but alas, even rodents are animals."

The pair decided with a look that they would not resume or start over on the potion tonight.

They magically cleaned up the worst of the splattered brew.

"You were thinking of her weren't you." It wasn't really a question. And Severus didn't dignify it with an answer.

"HA! You were!"

Damned brat. He should flog her and send her on her way.

"I can't believe you like Miss Colonial Prudence."

"I believe _Miss Prudence_ called you a _whore_ in front of the entire school. Using many very colourful words and head-butting you."

"Got ya! You confessed!"

Severus rolled his eyes

"I was merely pointing out the flaw in you calling Miss Granger prude."

Artemis stuck her nose in the air.

"Not that I need a confession, your actions speak for themselves."

Little girls… the only thing they ever did was give him headaches. He massaged his temples.

"Still you are choosing to be pig-headed and miserably alone instead to having a, well pretty is a stretch, but young woman by your side and finally having a bit of happiness in your life."

"I have no feelings for Miss G…"

"Oh shut up Severus. She likes you, you like her. What on earth, apart for your humongous self-hatred is keeping you form snogging her brains out?"

He gave Ari a warning look. It didn't stop her babbling.

"Ah yes propriety." The blond started to count on her fingers. "She is no longer your student. She is of age. She likes you. Having a younger woman is actually seen as a status symbol. And you have never cared of what other people think about anything else, why would this be different?"

Severus turned walked over to the fire place and threw in some floo powder. He pointed in to the green flames.

"LEAVE!"

Artemis strode by him.

"Touchy," she tuttered and disappeared in to the fire.

He turned from the fireplace and walked over to his old sagging armchair. It greeted him like an old friend as he fell in to it.

At first he reached over his coffee table towards his whisky canister, but his hand haltered.

"More whisky?" he asked himself. "What are we drowning out old friend?" With a sigh of regret he let the hand fall.

He knew too well what he wanted to drown out.

The truth.

Severus leaned forward and let his head fall in to his hands.

Hermione Granger. No matter how much he lied to Ari, to Minerva, to the school, to her, or even to himself, he knew the truth.

She consumed him.

He leaned back in his chair again, letting the red fire in front of him fill his vision.

Silly girl. Claiming to love him. She was too young to know what she felt.

It was hard admitting it to himself that he was an old pervert who had, despite his best efforts fallen for his student. But it had been inevitable. Her intriguing mind, her stubborn nature and her wittiness had charmed him. He had hoped it was just a fleeting twinge of loneliness, but alas, she was imprinted in his cranium, in his heart….

He glanced longingly at the golden drink resting on his coffee table.

Hermione didn't think he had a heart, and just as well.

His memory painted the scene from the great hall, Hermione's face twisted with indignation, rage and loss. _"…Cuz he's never going to love you!! 'Cuz he doesn't have a heart and neither do you!" _

He still wished he could erase that whole sequence from existence. It would simplify a lot of things. And it would put Hermione back into his path.

He scowled. What good would that do?

Yes, he would see her, hear her voice as she answered his questions. Correct him., unlike the other dimwits.

But it would just be torture being near her everyday. Knowing that if he made a move she would give herself to him, but knowing that he couldn't let her make such a mistake.

He would never condemn her with his love. Never incarcerate her in a relationship with him.

No could never do that to her, he loved her too much.


	22. Chapter 21

An: An update woho. Jk Rowling's world, my plot. Can't spell has a beta. Will update the Beatd version when I get it back. Cheers.

**The souls heart**

_Chapter 21_

It felt like he rarely saw the higher floors of the castle but for when he went to fetch more books. This semester especially he had been in and out of the library like a bloody yoyo.

Well he had meetings with Minerva now and then, but he could floo himself there so it really didn't count since he only saw her office.

Severus nodded his gratitude to Madam Pince as she turned off the lights after him. The hour of curfew had stricken and the deputy headmaster strode down a disserted corridor.

Damn Winter. Couldn't the man have had the foresight to not go bonkers and not leave his daughter with the deluded idea to following in his footsteps?

Not becoming bonkers but becoming a potions master…mistress.

Good thing the two of them were close to done. The girl was annoying Severus no end.

It had seemed the only right thing to do, taking her on as a gesture of gratitude to her father, his former tutor, and she had saved his life, even if she hadn't meant to.

She might just have shrugged at him when he had asked her about it, but no matter how much Ari said that she hated all of her Death-eater relations, she didn't actually want them to die. Especially not Draco Malfoy.

Severus suspected she had brewed the brew of Second Breath thinking firstly of her fragile sweetheart.

She would never confess to it, she didn't need to.

But gods help him if she wasn't soon sent of to another Potions Master for the second part of her training.

She enjoyed ticking him off, he was sure of it. The mentions of his mulish determination of not giving in to his feelings for Miss Granger, the voiced and very correct assumptions that he had feelings for Miss Granger, was becoming a more frequent topic than the apprenticeship or even the potion processes.

It was enough to make Severus want to rip that annoying little head of that annoying little body and use it as a doorstop.

He looked down at the two books he carried. They were his ticket to a Winter free life.

Footsteps and the sound of voices reached him as he walked through the supposedly empty school. He was heading towards the knot were the first floor entwined the upper levels of the school with the lower. The voices were ascending from the dudgeons.

Other teachers maybe or prefects one their last round heading back to their rooms?

He should have known his luck. Especially since he didn't have one.

Miss Granger, accompanied by the source of Miss Winters recently acquired insanity, young mister Malfoy.

How quaint.

They were walking level with him but on the floor beneath his. They would cross paths as he descended the staircase up ahead.

They appeared not to have noticed him as they seemed to be engrossed in a discussion of some sort.

He slowed his pace and hid in the gloomy shadows.

Severus hadn't seen Miss Granger for over a month. Not up close and he hadn't really allowed himself to more then glimpse her during dining hours.

Her beautiful curls bobbed in her wake hinting of their soft nature. Her lushes lips parting and delicately closing as her bell-like voice formed words. Her sensual grace as her young curved body moved closer to the stairs and inevitably, to him.

Miss Granger, the source of all his troubles. Without her he would be thankfully dead and rid of this world. Without her he would not have found out that one of his students was his soul's desire. Without her he would not repeatedly have found said student having her lips pressed to his. Without her he would not have had to dance with a half-his-age young woman at a stupid ball function. Without her he would never have had the heart aching discovery that she was not only his soul's desire but his soul desire and love…

Now he found himself lurking in the shadows apparently lusting after his student. A dirty old man indeed. What would she think of him if she saw him?

He pushed himself out of the dark and moved forward. Trying to reclaim his dignity. He reached the stairs at the same time the duo on the other level did.

Her amber coloured eyes found his and she froze with her foot on the first step.

He looked down at her with bored annoyance.

The blond boy next to Miss Granger looked between them and then mumbled something Severus couldn't hear.

As Draco set of up the stairs leaving his co-Head standing there like some doe in headlights Severus wondered what the boy knew.

Surly he didn't take his air-headed girlfriend's ramblings seriously, and Miss Granger had surly not professed anything to her archrival.

The suddenly suspiciously rushed boy dispread behind Severus without meeting his gaze.

The Potions Master shook his head and started to walk down the stairs.

The girl at its landing appeared not to have blinked let alone moved since she had seen him.

Severus rolled his eyes.

"Is there something you wish to say Miss Granger or are you just overwhelmed by my presents?"

As he stopped walking and just looked inquiringly at her it seemed that she would finally come alive. She looked away from him.

"I'm sorry sir, I just haven't seen you in a while"

"And what a fine vacation it has been" Severus observed making his face seem pleased.

Miss Granger just twitched her lips in an uncommitted way.

"I was almost sure I wouldn't see you again until I took my NEWT's" her eyes turned back up at him. Their expression slammed in to him like sledgehammer. He stood up straighter by the shear force

"I thought we had come to an agreement that you wouldn't bother me with your…_attachment _ever again Miss Granger."

She frowned

"I haven't even touched the subject sir."

"I think your eyes speak for you Miss Granger."

"I can't help my eyes sir." She started to walk up the stairs. Was this a challenge to see if he would back from her? He didn't move. "I can't help how I see you, I can only stop looking."

"Do you wish to spew more sugar-coated obscenities over me or would you just leave so I can go back to my vacation?"

"No one is holding you here sir." Her voice seemed seductively suggestive when it said those words, and also a bit disappointed.

"Ah, well then. I will be forced seeing you again at your NEWTs Miss Granger." Severus stared down the stairs again.

Miss Granger didn't move. She was looking at her shoes.

He had succeeded in hurting her again. It had been his objective so he should have been pleased. He should have.

"It was nice seeing you again Professor." Miss Granger whispered as he was about to passed her.

"The pleasure is all yours Miss Granger" he turned to her "And you get going before I deduct poin…"

Severus had somehow misjudges the distance between him and the young woman. With eyes widening in horror he saw his gesturing arm strike her over the face. Oh lord he had hit her.

Miss Granger must have tried to avoid the blow. Alas her movement together with his strike made her lose her balance.

The impact and surprise made her take a step backwards. He saw her fall backwards.

Her beautiful eyes were already widened in shock as his hand had hit her face now they widened even more as fear took a grip on her.

She had already fallen down Hogwarts stairs. Severus remembered the crumpled figure bleeding on the stone floor.

His arm shot out catching her. He pulled her back to him.

Holding her close. He had her. What would he have done if he hadn't caught her? He couldn't let anything happen to her.

Her delicate body against him, her hair smelled sweetly with a hint of citrus.

…

He was holding Hermione Granger to him. One couldn't squeeze a paper between them.

Damnation…

Careful to keep his face placid Severus risked a look down. What must she think of him?

Her mouth was slightly opened in surprise and her eyes glittered with wonder.

There were none else there to see his slip but her. Only she would know that had held her tenderly to him.

Hermione, his biggest wise.

Hermione, who's love he had to battle daily to not give in to.

Hermione, who he was holding to him.

One arm around her waist the other sneaking up to her face. His index finger stroked her cheek. She leaned in to his touch.

The intoxicating smell of her, her seductive lips. Her lips… so close…

The tall man leaned down, the younger woman closed her eyes.

On the stair in the middle of a dark school a sinister old professor forgot all of his principles and kissed the woman who loved him.

The kiss ended.

He still held her face as they broke apart.

She looked at him glowing with joy.

"You Do feel for me Severus" she dared not but whisper. Maybe the dream would end and she would wake up cold and alone in her bed.

His black eyes just looked at her. Was there a pain in them?

She stroked his cheek smiling.

At first it seemed that he would lean down to kiss her again but he stopped midway.

Her beloved Professor dropped his hands from her and looked away.

He stepped from and around her, he started to walk down the stairs again.

No…

"NO! You are not leaving! Not this time!" she grabbed his arm. "You kissed me! You kissed ME!" she was crying and screaming but she didn't care.

He didn't turn, the bustard didn't turn.

"I'm sorry Hermione but I can't." he tugged his arm out of her grip.

"The Fuck You Can! And you WILL!" she followed him and grabbed him again. This time he turned.

"No." his face showing emotion for the first time. Real feelings, apart form shook or anger or exasperation she had never seen that before. He was sad. He was beautiful. "I can't condemn you to suffer my love."

He had said love.

She glared at him.

"Fuck You! Condemn Me!" she stepped closer to him and her words grew softer "Please let me suffer you."

He looked at her. He seemed to almost hunger for her. Oh how she wanted him.

"No" was all he said and turned from her again.

She tried to hold on to him but he was too strong.

He left her on the stairs.

Hermione looked after him.

He wouldn't get away now.

She turned and walked up the stairs.

He loved her back.


	23. Chapter 22

An: Jk Rowling has full right to the Harry Potter World

**The Souls Heart**

_Chapter 22_

He couldn't believe he had done that. He had kissed the girl and professed, in a way his love for her.

The shame was overbearing as Severus sat behind his desk not twenty-four hours after the staircases scene had been played out.

He had not been able to face her. He knew he was being ridicules but he needed to stay away from her. Now more than ever. He knew of her dogged persistence. Ergo he had stayed away from the Great hall and dined in his quarters. His determination wasn't allowed to be jeopardised.

She had to graduate, leave Hogwarts and forget his very existence. Find love and happiness elsewhere with someone else. He was not the man for her.

He would drag her down with his trying behaviourisms and his bad reputation. Not even the Merlin fist-class had been enough to re-deem him. He would plague her with endless testing to see if she was him true, to see if her love was genuine and to see if he was good enough for her. He would disturb her slumbers whit his endless war-flashbacks and not to be underestimated, his snoring. He would mould her ego down in to a pulp with his out lashings and far too cutting insults. He would destroy her.

No he couldn't let her live through what Lily only suffered the half of. No he'd let his lovely Lily down. He would not do the same to Hermione.

She would let her go to be free and happy. And he… He would suffer alone, pining and in agony but knowing she was thriving somewhere else, somewhere with out him.

And then the world would go back to normal. Him in the dungeons, slowly wasting away.

Severus pulled a stack of papers towards him. Paperwork. Always more paperwork that needed to be done by the Deputy-Headmaster.

Why oh Why didn't Minerva get a secretary to handle all the stupid forms and other useless paperwork so he didn't have to. Minerva wouldn't have to do it ether of course but she didn't have to teach at the same time as to do all of this bloody paperwork, so maybe she should only hire _him_ a secretary.

He glanced at his watch.

Where was the stupid child? Severus had more important things to do than sit around and wait.

He begrudgingly started at the papers.

He only had to wait approximately six minutes before a knock rang off his door.

Finally.

"Enter" Severus said in his stern voice. Malfoy was going to get an earful for making him wait. And there for making him deal with the stacks on his desk.

The door opened and Malfoy failed to enter.

Severus groaned. Her persistence yes. Of course it was Hermione standing there smiling mischievously at him, of course…

"Miss Granger..." he groaned again.

The amber glow of her eyes did not waver from him as she stored in to the room. A Lioness on the prowl.

"Professor" She greeted him and closed the door behind her. Eyes never wavering.

"Miss Granger we are not supposed to be seeing each other."

"Afraid you might kiss me again Sir?" she started to advance across the room.

Severus shot to his feet ready to strike her down with his enraged tongue.

No sound escaped him.

What snide retort could he cut her down with?

"_It was a mistake"_ true but not something that would make this Lioness flee his chambers. _"I don't care for you, get out!" _Not true, and she was too resolute, her eyes was filled with determination. It would only make her laugh at him. Maybe he should just settle for _"Get Out!"_ but that would be beneath him. He swallowed his anger.

He saw her raise an eyebrow as he seated himself down again.

"Cat got your tongue Sir?" she asked. He ignored her comment. She was ready to fight, it was obvious by her defensive stance.

"Where is Mr Malfoy?" Severus asked instead. "He was to bring me the week's prefect-report"

"I'm a Head as much as he. Since this interferes with his Quidditch anyways, we thought I should bring it today."

Severus didn't believe a word.

"Then hand it to me and be gone." He growled.

Hermione huffed and walked the few steps to his desk and put down a paper bunt. More paperwork. Whoopee…

He pulled the papers to him and pretended to start to read them. She did not move.

"You may leave Miss Granger" he said waving his hand.

"I have another business with you sir." She stated. He had known it but still…It was never easy was it?

"No Miss Granger, you have not. Leave"

"No"

"It wasn't a question"

Her hands slammed down on his desk and as his startled head shot up he found her face a few inches form his own. She was angry.

"You Kissed Me Last Night!" it was an accusation. Why couldn't he just get to answer _"no" _why? Stupid laps of morals.

He stared dully in to her flaming eyes saying nothing. That only made her angrier.

"Don't you dare stare blankly at me Severus Snape!! Don't you dare pretend last night was nothing!!!"

"But it was nothing" he kept his voice calm.

"NO!" She slammed her hands down on his desk again. The sound the impact made indicated that that might have hurt. The girl didn't seem to care.

"NO! You kissed ME! YOU Kissed ME. You Professed caring for Me! That is not Nothing!" He didn't even blink. She turned around her clutched fists to her to her forehead screaming in frustration.

"Auuuuuuargh!!!"

All Severus did was lean back and sigh.

Now it was her fists that beat down on his poor manhandled desk.

"How Can You Sit Here Like Nothing?!! When You Know, When YOU KNOW I Love You! When You LOVE Me! How Can You Sit Here And Do Nothing?" her eyes bored in to his, her frustration her indignation as clear as day on her face.

"Are you quite done?" he asked her.

Hermione's bent figure heaved from the anger, her angered face melted in to sadness and her legs buckled under it wait. The Head-girl fell to the floor, momentarily defeated.

The silence stretched between them.

Severus observed the curls from on top of her head sticking up over the desktop.

"Have we not done this before Miss Granger?" Severus asked the curls.

"We have sir, right before I fought Winter in the Great hall."

"Ah Yes. And what silly notion made you think this time it would end differently?"

"You kissed me and professed to care for me Sir." She rose of the cold stone floor

"But I also stated no wish to be with you Miss Granger" he looked her squarely in the eye "Did I?"

"You didn't sir. But I thought only a self-hating masochistic fool would deny himself happiness."

Severus let her insult pass and sighed again.

"And what pray makes you think you can bring me happiness?"

Her voice was soft and her eyes sincere when she answered.

"I know being with you, the man I love would bring me the greatest joy Severus."

The Potions Master rose from his desk and gave a little nod

"Then you are delusional. Please leave Miss Granger, I have nothing to say to you that I haven't shouted at you already at some point or another." He gestured to the door.

Her eyes looked at him then the door then back at him.

"You have mostly shouted lies at me sir, saying that you didn't love me"

"Who says I do?"

"I. and in a sense you. You said you didn't want me to suffer your love."

"Please Miss Granger haven't we excused this subject enough? I don't want to be with you."

The tears welled up in her eyes. He rolled his own.

"Why not?! What did she have that I lack?!!" the sobbing started and she covered her face with her hands.

Severus frowned. Who? What? He…What?

"Wha..who..? What are you talking about?!"

Hermione removed her hands and her face was streamed with tears

"LILY POTTER!!! You walked through fire for HER and she didn't even love you back! I love you. I love you back and me you toss like yesterdays garbage!" her hands covered her face again and she continued to sob.

Oh dear Merlin.

"Lily has nothing to do with this!" he walked around his desk again fighting the urge to take the sobbing woman in his arms, restraining the yearning to hold her and tell her everything would be alright. To whisper in her ear that he loved her and would never leave her. He almost slammed himself down in to his chair.

"Get out! Go sob on one of your boyfriends. Weasley or Potter or possibly Malfoy, he seems to have taken a shiny to you! I ruined Lily's life, I'm not about to ruin yours! Get out!"

She didn't heed him. He hadn't expected her to.

"There you go again! Ruin, suffer, condemn. Who are you to say how I will find your love? What possesses you to think that I can't handle you?"

Always so obstinate always so stubborn.

"This!" Severus snarled "Your behaviour right now!"

The brunette seemed shocked by his frank out lash.

"But.." she tried softly but Severus didn't let her defend herself.

"You cry, you scream, you flail about in despair and frustration. All that from just talking to me. What makes you think for a moment that I want to have that in my life? You can't handle a simple conversation without me making you snivel. I am not in the market for a daughter Miss Granger."

"But that's because you are unreasonable and insist on insulting me! I wouldn't..." she began

"And what?! You think I would stop being stubborn and rude if I gave in to you?"

Hermione fell silent and looked at her feet. Severus heart sank but he didn't allow that to show.

"Miss Granger, you are the one who is unreasonable. You claim to love me yet you don't care for my personality. I fear you have gravely mistaken and fooled yourself." His voice was even and maybe a little condescending. He just looked at the girl who seemed to be fascinated by her footwear. She bit her lip and looked up.

"I don't believe so sir. I know what I feel." Her eyes were free of tears at the moment but remained glossy. Her beautiful amber eyes shone in her fine featured face.

"Feelings Miss Granger are the easiest thing to manipulate. You might believe so now, but time will tell you, you were wrong."

She looked at him. Severus guessed that she was contemplating their conversation. He sighed. Did he have time for this? No.

He decided to gather up his things. The head-girl could stand there all she liked, he would not care. He wouldn't.

"You're scared sir." She said flatly.

Severus turned and stared at her.

"What?!"

"Your scared. You hide behind trivial facts like that I was your student, that I am younger than you and that you have a bad temper. But you know these are just excuses. You are scared."

"Miss Granger, You will not stand in my office insulting me!" he took a step closer and towered over her. The Gryffindor didn't move muscle; she just looked him in the eye.

"You could jeopardise your physical well-being whilst betraying Lord Voldemort but you dare not risk your mental well-being by letting anyone close and giving them the chance to hurt you."

"Your not listening to me girl! I am not hiding for anything! You don't love me, you're just looking for a new father!" he was very aggravated now. He wanted to grab a hold shake her.

"That's a lie, and you know it. I love your intellect, your wits, your flint-hard mask you show the world and your brave and true heart that you guard so vigilantly. I love your deep and mysterious voice, I love your handsome face. I love you Severus." She lifted her hand to his cheek and caressed it. He brushed it off.

"You can't handle me. I would ruin you!"

"I can handle you, I'm just frustrated. You might make me cry sometimes but I'm tougher than you think. I bounce back. I love you Severus" She smiled.

He looked down in to her eyes. The tears far gone and now a smile shining in their place. He did not disserve such a beautiful rose. Yet here she stood wanting noting but him. What more could he do? He had tried to fight her but she was to strong. He sighed and gave in to his soul desire.

He let his hand caress her cheek as he had not let hers caress his.

"Don't you see that I will only make you suffer?"

"Then you are delusional" she teased.

"I am not a kind man"

"Yes you are."

"Now who is delusional?" he smiled stroking her face. She just smiled. He leaned down and kissed her.

"I give in" he whispered. Hermione thought her heart might burst of joy.

As the two broke apart he held her close to him.

"I will be yours" he said "On one condition"

Hermione tensed. What obstacle would be put between them now?

He turned her face to his.

"You will have to wait until after graduation"

"WHAT!" she struggled out of his grip "I have chased and hunted you from months and now you fling this at me when I have finally caught you?!"

Severus chuckled.

"Yes."

"Why?" Hermione peered disapprovingly at him and put her hands on her hips "Is this something about me being your student again?"

Severus smiled. Hermione heart made a little summersault in hear chest.

"Yes Hermione it is" he had used her name.

"No I won't agree to it!"

"It's only a few months away. You will bear it."

"No I can't bear it" she hugged him and to her great surprise and pleasure he hugged her back.

"My dear Miss Granger. I am to discard and ignore all my principles and morals and be with a woman young enough to be my daughter, a woman who was my student, then please do me the one favour of at lest not attending the school I work at."

She grunted displeased in to his robes.

"If you don't do this for me…"

She tensed in his arms waiting for him to shove her away and insult her and throw her out of his office. "..I will lose my job, so please Hermione, please."

She giggled.

"Fine!" she sighed. "But you better kiss me the moment I have that graduation scroll in my hand."

"How about after you get off stage?" he said looking uncomfortable

"Then you'll met my parents!" she laughed.

He shook his head and kissed her

"I love you"

The End

An: there will be an epilogue. That is why I haven't called this story complete.


	24. Epilogue

AN: Last update. Say bye-bye to this story, people :) I still disclaim the ability to spell or owning these characters.

The beta of this chapter is dani's random fox.

**The Soul's Heart**

_Epilogue_

Hermione had not been a good girl. She had promised to wait until today, but she hadn't been able to.

She had cornered him in dark corridors forcing him in to kiss her on countless occasions.

At first her stubborn professor had fought her on the matter, but he had given in. Just like she knew he would, all though he had also reprimanded her every single time.

She felt giddy standing there on the grassed grounds of Hogwarts. Soon, she would be a witch. Not a witch in training, but a fully fledged witch and she could start calling her Severus _her_ Severus. She wondered if the smile that had taken her face hostage that morning would ever fade.

Hermione looked around her. Harry was there looking grim and serious. Yeah, he probably didn't really want to leave the school, the first real home for him. He was going to study for Auror, she had helped him fill out the applications.

She looked beyond Harry and saw Ron. He and Tara Glennen had been owling each other all term. They were almost an item. She was so happy for him.

In another slightly greener cluster stood the friend she never thought she would make. Draco Malfoy, he still grumbled now and then because she had thought him gay. She suspected they would have that subject to tease about for as long as they cared to know each other. He and his stick-figure Artemis Winter were together now and they seemed contented. It was nice seeing Draco happy, and if Artemis Winter could bring him that, then maybe even Hermione could warm up to the girl.

She looked at all her friends one by one, knowing that she would miss them, yet not wishing that she wasn't about to graduate. She wanted to graduate.

Professor McGonagall was making a speech and behind her stood the four representatives for the four houses.

Her Severus looked grim and bored just as always. He really thought himself dark and mysterious with a hint of evil. What a silly notion. She was sure no one on the planet could kiss and hold her as tentatively as him. How could she have ever feared him? How could she have ever been disgusted by the thought of him?

She almost waved, but giddy though she was, she hadn't lost her marbles. He would probably hex her for it.

He had not been pleased about her telling her friend about them. No indeed. Harry had been very difficult about it. Good thing Ginny could make him jump through hoops. Making him accept the fact about Hermione and Snape had been no match for her.

Severus had grumbled about the loss of respect he had faced when their secret had been shared by Harry, Ginny, Ron and Draco. Draco had himself hadn't lost any respect for the professor, but he had told Miss Winter and apparently she hadn't shown Severus any respect to begin with, and this hadn't helped…

Hermione had told him he would just have to live with it, suck it up and be a man. Soon her friends would be out of his classroom.

"But I won't get rid of them, will I?" he had asked her, looking about as pleased as a wet cat.

"No. They are my friends so after school you'll have to get to know them. Won't that be nice?" She had smiled most maliciously.

He had groaned and bore a face of true pain

"Can't I just kill myself? Death never was this bad."

"Me and Miss Winter will just regenerate you again. Frankly, you would only be stalling."

He had not looked pleased. She had, on the other hand, looked very pleased.

Hermione woke up from her little reminiscing as the crowd she was standing in started to move.

It seemed like McGonagall had finished her speech.

The queue they had been informed to form started to shape itself. It had a simple system. You got two names. Stand in the middle of those two people.

It took mere minutes to form the line and Hermione felt her heart flip. Hogwarts liked alphabetical orders. Her surname was Granger and so she would be called up there quite fast.

She peeked out from the throng and glimpsed him.

Hanna Abbott was receiving her diploma from the headmistress and then went down the line of Heads of Houses and shook each hand.

Hermione almost shook in anticipation. Slowly the line emptied out before her and it was her turn.

"Granger, Hermione," sounded McGonagall's magically magnified voice. The parents, friends and family of the entire school watched the former Head Girl walk up the stairs.

Maybe her applause was a little bit louder than the others but in fairness, she was a little more known than the rest.

She quietly wondered how many out there in the mass of people were not related to anyone, but where here to see Harry Potter, Boy Wonder, graduate.

She gave a small wave to her family.

McGonagall gave her the scroll.

"Well done girl, didn't doubt you a second" she whispered. "I'm very proud," the headmistress added with a wink.

They shook hands.

"Thank you Ma'am" Hermione curtsied.

The she moved over to the new Gryffindor Head of House, a nice woman but Hermione hadn't really had the time to form a true opinion about her. But she had received an O from her so Hermione smiled and curtsied as they shook hands.

"Good luck."

"Thank you, Professor."

Flitwick blubbered something about her being outstanding and that it had been a privilege to teach her. Hermione curtsied and felt stupid, she didn't come down to his level even when she did that.

"Thank you sir, it was an honour to have been taught under you, sir." She would miss him.

Professor Sprout wiped a tear away as they shook hands.

"You've been a good girl, Miss Granger. Good luck out there"

"Thank you, Professor. I will miss you."

That did not help Professor Sprout's tears.

And then there he stood. Tall, pale, with long dark hair that wasn't particularly slimy looking on this day of honour. He looked angry. Sure bet that he was scared. He wondered if she would kiss him here in front of the entire school, and her parents.

She extended a hand since he didn't much else but tower over her and stare.

"Sir" she said curtly. That would throw him off.

He pulled out his beautifully shaped hand form his robes and took hers.

"A pleasure Miss Granger."

They shook hands.

With that she jumped of stage.

She could hear his outlet of breath. He might think she let him of easy, but he still owed her a kiss.

She walked through the crowd to her family. On her way, she saw Daphne Greengrass hug Seamus Finnegan in a not-just-friends way. So they had made up, that was nice.

.

She hugged her parents and presented them with her scroll. They were very proud with her grades. It was her eighth year as a witch, and now both Mr. and Mrs. Granger knew the grading system.

"Wasn't there a new boy in your life, dear, that you wanted us to met? I am sure the owl you sent me said something about that." her mother said as they watched student after student shake hands with their professors.

"Maybe you could point the lucky fellow out when he gets on stage" her father suggested.

Draco Malfoy walked of stage and in to his mother's arms. His father was out of Azkaban and ruffled his hair leaning on his walking stick. Artemis Winter stood next to them waiting for Narsissa to stop depriving her son of air so she could do it.

"Well, you see.. um.. There isn't a new boy in my life…" Hermione said looking very guilty.

"No?" asked her mother "have you broken up or.. or is it an old boy?"

"In a sense…"

"Is it Harry Potter, dear?" asked her father, looking surprised. "Because I always thought him…not quite the right man for you."

"It's not Harry"

"Are you back with Ron then?" her father looked worried.

"No."

It was an ear deafening roar as Harry took the stage. The Grangers all clapped as Hermione's friend shook the hands of all the professors.

Hermione observed as Harry seemed to say something displeasing to Severus; the older man's eyes darkened.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley hugged him as he walked into the crowd. Then the poor boy was ambushed by reporters.

After the Potter inflicted hubbub died down Mr. Granger turned again to his daughter.

"Well then, Hermione, who is this mystery man of yours?"

Hermione smiled apologetically. This was going to be a bomb.

"Severus Snape, my now former Professor."

Her father didn't move a muscle. Her mother on the other hand…

"WHAT! YOUR PROFESSOR!"

"Well, we haven't started to see each other yet since he thought it improper to date his student, all though former even when this subject was…" between her teeth Hermione added _"finally"_ in a very small whisper "…discussed. We tried hard to fight our feelings mom, we really did. And before you blow steam out of your ears I'll have you know that it was I who pursued him and he fought me very long and hard."

Her mother stood there trying to form words but seemed unable to do so.

"Is he a good man?" her father asked casually.

"The best dad, truly the best"

"And has he done…anything inappropriate to you, dear?" he asked as if the thought just struck him, still in that casual tone. Mr. Granger was, after all, a dentist and dentists have the prospect of great evil presented to them every day. Don't mess with a dentist.

"No dad, he barely let's me touch him. I think he would leave me if I even suggested inappropriate behaviour. Not that we have officially started to date yet. He said I had to wait until I graduated."

"That sounds sensible." Her father nodded and then stared to clap. Ron had been called up on stage.

Hermione's mother had finally found her voice.

"How much older than you is this Severus Snape? Severus Snape… That name rings a bell. Wasn't he that appallingly nasty man you saved from death?"

"He is exactly nineteen years older then me and yes, he was the one who had risked his life for seventeen years to atone for some bad choices he had made in his youth, he was the one who died infiltrating Voldemort's inner sanctum. Yes, he is that one, yes."

"I remember you coming home every summer complaining greatly about a certain professor treating you horribly, and now you are going to date him?!"

"Yes, mother. After this little ceremony he will come over here to meet you." Hermione beamed at her emotionally now closed down father and her bewildered mother. Hermione thought to herself that if he wasn't on his way over here after this, he was going to get a new definition of hell.

"Isn't that nice, dear." Mrs. Granger looked pale.

There were no students left and McGonagall had a very short goodbye speech.

Some people listened.

The bushy haired graduate had friends stopping by and hugged her.

The Weasleys, the Lupins and Harry had gathered in a cluster with the three Grangers and seemed content to stay there.

They were talking animatedly about Harry, Ron and Hermione and how well everything had turned out, especially the weather.

It was then that she saw Severus. He was walking their way from a distance. He stopped for a few seconds staring uncomfortable at the throng of happy people but with a grimace started towards them again. Towards her.

Hermione smiled.

He unceremoniously pushed his way through the group and stopped in front of Hermione.

Everyone fell quiet. That made Severus grimace again. Hermione giggled.

"Mom, Dad, this is Severus. Severus, these are my parents."

Harry smirked as he hugged Ginny and Ron chuckled, holding his new girlfriend Tara's hand. The rest of the people stared in confused disbelief.

"Very nice to meet you Mrs. Granger, Mr. Granger. You'll have to excuse my poor hand-shake. I have been shaking a lot of hands today."

"Very nice to meet you too, Mr. Snape" Said Hermione's father, managing a rather nice burn with the _Mister _titillation.

Severus was gracious enough to let it pass. This time.

Hermione's mother settled for a fake smile and a "How do you do."

To the rest of the gaping fools Severus just nodded glumly. They gradually started to move and mumbled various greetings.

Severus ignored them and turned back to Hermione.

"You promised something just after I graduated…" The girl cooed taking a hold of Severus robes.

"I rather don't think that applies anymore since you've been stealing said thing from me all term."

Hermione pulled at his robe making him bend slightly down to her.

The gathered people shuffled to give them some space and also to grill Harry, Ron and Ginny on what the hell was happening.

"Ewww" was the combined voices of the Weasley twins as Ron tried to explain the mirror, the ball and the feelings of very confused and stubborn people.

"A promise is a promise Mister Snape" Hermione said poking him accusingly in the chest. "Or is the Head of the House of wit exempt from the rule?"

He gave her a lopsided grin.

"I am above every rule. But I should refuse you, since you're only making me do this to embarrass me."

Hermione pouted.

"I would never."

"You would," he said still smiling.

"Oh, shut up and kiss me, you evil man!" She pulled him towards her and he didn't resist.

As Severus let his slender hands slip around her waist and her neck, kissing her even more passionately, Hermione determined that day, her graduation day…

…was the most wonderful day of her entire life.

The End


End file.
